Danganronpa: A Stay at Hope's Peak Mansion and a New Wave of Despair
by NewMusic098
Summary: 20 students, 1 mastermind. A place with only one possibility of escape, and that is to kill someone without being caught. Join the new set of students as they battle tooth-and-nail in this academic colesium, held inside a despairingly amazing mansion. Who will win? Who will lose? Hope or Despair?
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: Danganronpa belongs to its rightful owner. I take no monetary gain upon writing this Despairification Project. All rights reserved yada-yada, let's get this over with!_

_**A Danganronpa Fan Fiction**_

_Written by NewMusic098_

**希望の邸宅での滞在と絶望の新しい波**

**"Danganronpa: Kibou no Teikaku de no Taizai to Zetsubou no Aratashinami"**

"**Danganronpa: A Stay at Hope's Mansion and A New Wave of Despair"**

–

**Prologue: A Despairingly Gloomy Stay at Hope's Mansion**

That massive school stood conspicuously tall over its surroundings downtown...

_**Hope's Peak Private Academy**_, a place where all kinds of diversity can meet and take part in one another. Academics, sports, art, showbiz... You name it, it's there! The school brings all of the top students, the best of the best of _the best of the best_ in those various fields together and help them grow. There's all sorts of people who get chosen by that school, and all of them are considered the country's "Hope". There's also this widespread fact that whoever graduates from that Academy will have guaranteed success in life. Though there's also the undeniable fact that only students who get chosen by the school itself can go there. Well, it _is_ a top-notch school for top-notch students.

Walking through the streets as I looked at the envelope sent to me last week, I couldn't help but wonder if this was just good karma or a fantasy, and I'm about to wake up at any moment. This letter, signed and sealed by the Headmaster of Hope's Peak, is absolute proof that I, Hisagi Koten, was chosen to be a part of this year's class of "Super Duper High Schoolers". I still remember all the buzz everyone all over the internet was making when they first heard about the new batch of students. It's like a yearly event where they post up info about some of the students and make blogs about them, purely because they've already made a name for themselves and have that name circulating around the country for a while.

"_Did you hear?! The Super Duper High School Racer is gonna be at Hope's Peak this year!"_

"_The Super Duper High School Memorizer will also be attending that school this year, I can't wait!"_

_"I also heard that that super famous teen artist is gonna be there! Man, I wish I could see her draw!"_

"_Forget that! I heard that the Super Duper High School Cosplayer is gonna be part of the class!"_

"_I think there's also a High School Joker out there this year!"_

"_How weird can this class get?!"_

"_The most popular one has got to be this High School Loser! What the heck!"_

"_Even a Super Duper High School Loser got accepted?!"_

"_Well, he is Super Duper..."_

My eyes twitched as I remember the countless blogs pertaining to the Super Duper High School Loser. They have no idea that the guy they're talking about is the one standing in front of the school's gates, nervously trying to recompose himself as even more pressure got to him. I looked at the pretigious school right in front of me, then to the sides, where I can see all the students excitedly making their way to school.

Will I even make it here? I'm not even sure I have what it takes to be a part of this place. It's like I feel left out or something, but I might as well take this chance. If I graduate, I'm guaranteed for success in the future. Yeah, all I need to do is get through this, and I'm all set. Balling my fists, I fortified my resolve with a deep breath and a determined expression.

_'The first step I take is the first step to achieving success. The first step I take in Hope's Peak Academy is a step filled with hope. Hope for me, hope for my dreams, and hope for the future...'_

Or at least... That's how and what it was _supposed_ to be. The very first step I took as I entered the grounds of Hope's Peak wasn't one filled with hope. I realized that now as the ground and space around me seem to crack, shift, then swirl into something like water, mixing and melding until it was completely unrecognizable. The last thing I remember before losing my consciousness was a faint color of red, and then everything turned black.

–

Darkness everywhere. As far as the eye could see, not a single spec of light to be found. That was the first thing I saw when I woke up somewhere. I was sitting down on something wooden, my arms under my head as I laid down on whatever surface it was, but I don't quite remember how I got here.

With a bit of effort, I raised my head to get a better view of my surroundings. Everything was absolutely dark, and even as I squint, I couldn't get a good look at anything. I felt like I was floating, like I was swimming in a sea of darkness, and I have no idea where I am. Suddenly the ground felt like it was moving, shaking, making me dizzy as well as nauseous. I couldn't hear anything, and somehow, I was glued to the chair that I was sitting on. With my feet still locked in place, the ground continued it's insufferable assault, and I have absolutely no idea what's happening. With confusion and fear circling my mind, I waited for whatever was happening to be over.

Just moments later, however, everything came to a standstill. It didn't feel like the ground was moving anymore, and when I moved my feet, I realized I could finally move about freely. I stood up slowly, expecting something to happen again, relieved that my expectations didn't come true. I sighed and stretched my arms and legs, trying to get the feeling back in them. It didn't feel like hours since I was sitting in that chair, but why did I feel so numb all over? That didn't matter at the moment, I still need to find out what the hell was happening.

"All right..." Now that I got my bearings back, I can finally get to the bottom of this. But as soon as I took a step forward, light flashed in before me, and I closed my eyes and shielded myself with my arm to keep myself from being blinded. What is it with all these weird things happening one after another? I wanted to figure it out, but something tells me I don't want to stick around long enough for me to find out. The light slowly began to fade away, and it's probably safe to guess that it's not going to happen again. I peeked an eye open to see what all the fuss was about, and I was surprised to see that I was face-to-face with a giant, red, metal door. It was designed like one of those old movie mansion doors, with gold rings instead of doorknobs and an intricate, ominous design carved into the metal. The only difference is that this one looks brand new. But what was a door doing appearing out of nowhere all of a sudden? And oddly enough, I feel something weird. It was like I was being pulled towards the door. I couldn't control my hand as it casually held on to one of the golden rings and pulled the massive door open.

Before I could even think about what's going on, I was enveloped in the strange light I saw earlier. I had closed my eyes out of reflex, and waited for the light to die out again. I heard the door behind me slam shut for some reason, and immediately, the light disappeared. I opened my eyes to see that the door was, in fact, closed shut. I walked over to the door and tried to open it again, but it wouldn't budge. After a few tries, I gave up and turned around with my eyes closed. Then, I opened them to the freakiest thing even I couldn't imagine.

I was in a _classroom_. Which ever way you look at it, from the wooden desks, to the white boards in front, I was inside a cramped up classroom, and the weirder part of it all is, I'm _not alone_. Standing across me were a bunch of people, I guess students, who were just as shocked seeing me as I am seeing them. They stared at me for who-knows-how-long while I try to remember everyone's faces. I think these people are going to be my classmates.

"Hello there!" A guy with a weird-looking dog hat wearing glasses waved over, breaking my concentration. "You're number twenty!"

With a confused expression I asked, "I'm...what?" It bothers me that he can be so friendly around someone who he only just met. I don't even know his name yet.

"You're a new face here," A red-hooded girl said. She was holding a sketchbook and had cat ears sticking out of her hood. "This is surely a strange situation we've gotten ourselves into, huh?"

"Y-yeah..." I agreed, avoiding eye contact. It's awkward making eye contact with someone you just met. "A-anyway, what did that guy mean that _I'm number twenty_?"

"He's just countin' heads." Another guy with platinum hair from across the room said. "Twenty, huh? What a rounded number, wouldn't you say?" He asked. That big smile on his face gives me the creeps, so I steered my eyes away from him slowly. I was faced with a girl with green, wild-looking hair, and that sneer of hers isn't something to ignore, either. Her chocolate brown eyes caught me staring at her, and I was terrified by the sudden glare I received.

"Huh? What the hell are **you** lookin' at?" The growl she gave sent shivers down my spine and back up again, and with a squeak, I quickly turned my head to another direction. I thought this was a school for privileged students? All I'm seeing are wackos, every which way I look.

"Uh, I don't wanna spoil the party or anything," A guy short brown hair raised his hand to call everyone's attention. He was sitting on one of the desks as he rocked a chair with his foot. "But does anyone have any idea what we're doing here?"

"We woke up somewhere dark," A girl short, grayish hair answered. "And then was brought here... Who brought us here, though? Was it ninjas?! The Mexican cartel?! Are we gonna be shipped off somewhere? Or is it aliens?! Oh god, aliens!" She began to panic and start muttering nonsense about how aliens abducted us and are now experimenting on us. Beside her was a girl seemingly fixing her dark purple hair, twirling it around her index finger as she ignored the rantings of the girl next to her. She caught me glancing at her for a second, and she smirked at me, putting a finger near her lips.

"Hey, pretty boy..." She said in a maliciously seductive tone. "Like what you see?" I blinked a few times, blushing furiously at those words. Before I could say anything, she added, "Just kidding~ You're not my type, anyways." She giggled a bit at that and began scouring the room, possibly looking for someone _her type_. She's making me feel sick, so I ignored her and kept looking at all the other students. Is it me, or isn't this a bit too weird? Despite being in a classroom, why is it that I can't hear any noise from _outside_?

"What the-?!" Someone suddenly exclaimed. We all turned towards the classroom door, which was left across from where I was, and found a guy with red hair trying to open said door.

"Is there something wrong?" A girl with blonde hair asked. The guy clicked his tongue, tried to shove the door once more, then gave up entirely.

"The damn door's locked..." He muttered. He tried kicking the door down, even doing so many times. He kicked it harder and harder each time, but the door just didn't budge one bit. He sighed then turned to face us. "Look's like we won't be getting out any time soon..."

"Uh, you think?" The green-haired wild woman asked sarcastically. "If you haven't noticed, the windows are pretty messed up, too! You **prick**!" She walked towards one of the steel-plated windows and slammed her hand roughly on them as she growled her sentences out. That's the first time I've seen steel-plated windows before, and it doesn't seem we can take them off that easily. The plates are so thick, and the screws on each of them vary in size. It'll be almost impossible for us to get out of here with those things blocking our way. Plus there was the door locked from the outside.

"P-prick?!" The redhead glared. "Why you-!"

"More importantly," The dog boy interrupted. With a tilted head and a finger to his chin, he asked, "Has anyone seen their phones? I can't find mine anywhere, and I know _for sure_ I haven't lost it..." A number of gasps were heard before everyone started to search themselves.

"Wait, wait, wait..." The green-haired girl interrupted, glaring at the dog boy. "How the **hell **can you be so sure that you lost your phone? Maybe you didn't bring it just this once?" The seemingly stupid dog boy adjusted his glasses with his middle finger and smiled innocently at the terrifying woman.

"Because," he said, making a peace sign with his right hand's fingers, "I'm the _Super Duper High School Memorizer_. And as such, I know _for sure_, _without a doubt, _that my phone was **not** missing before I passed out. I'm sure you're all aware of this fact right now, right?"

"Tch..." A tall guy wearing a gray hoodie clicked his tongue. "My headphones and cellphone are both missing... And I never leave without them..."

"See?" The dog boy asked. "I knew I was right!"

"I wasn't talking to _you_..." The black-haired guy muttered. He then turned his back on the the dog boy, while the latter looked rather disappointed at the attitude taken towards him.

"Huh? He's right! My phone's missing, too!" The gray-haired girl exclaimed. "It's gotta be the aliens doing this!"

"I doubt aliens would want anything with our phones..." The redhead guy sighed, holding his chin. "But this is strange..."

"**Badass**!" A strange-looking guy exclaimed suddenly. "What a **badass **place for a **badass **dude like me!" My eye twitched visibly as the place got noisier and noisier. I might as well check for myself if what they're saying is true. For all I know, they could be pulling the rug from under me. I doubt my phone's missing, but just to be sure, I slipped my hand into one my pockets.

"What?" I gasped in shock. I looked and pulled my pocket inside out, even checking the other one just to be sure. My phone wasn't there, as well as any of the gadgets I brought along.

"What's going on here...?" A small girl that looked no older than ten squeaked, her hands balled into fists and tucked near chest. Her eyes seemed to get shiny as tears threatened to fall to her cheek.

"Fear not, everyone..." A white-haired boy holding a cross announced. "The light of God shall guide us down the right path!" He held the cross with both hands and bowed his head, closing his eyes as he did so. "Now let His Holiness's guidance calm your worrying souls!"

"G-God, huh?" A small blonde girl stuttered. "H-he wasn't there when I got an _i_-_imperfect_ score on one of my tests, and He won't be here **now**!" She was shivering in the corner, as if she was trying to disappear from everyone's sight. Why did she bother to speak up if that was the case, then?

"Nah, my magic's gonna get us out of here!" A robed wonder exclaimed. But immediately after announcing that, "...But I bet no one's going to _believe_ me... So I'll just sit in the corner here..."

"G-get your own c-c-corner!" The little blondie sneered. The crowd's getting rowdier and rowdier, and I think everyone seemed to forgot that we're trapped in this strange room with no possible means of escape.

"E-everyone!" A girl with gold-colored hair tied with ribbons loudly said. "This is no time to be fooling around... I surely hope that none of you have forgotten the situation that we are in, yes?"

"Of course not," The guy with the dog hat said again. "But does anyone really _know _why we went here in the first place? All I could remember was seeing a red door, and after that, I was stuck in this place."

"You, too?" The little ten year old asked. The guy with the hat nodded and hummed in question, then looked at everyone else.

"Did everybody here experience the same thing?" He asked them.

"Yeah, I did..." The hooded cat-girl answered. "It was weird... It was like I was being pulled in to door... I didn't even know I was opening it until I heard it screech open."

"Looks like everyone here had the same experience," The creepy, dark-purple haired girl spoke. "It's safe to assume that whoever is behind this was the one who forced us to open that door."

"More like _led _us to it..." I sighed.

"The question is, who made us do it, _**huh**_?" The green-haired girl asked. An eerie silence settled upon the room, and the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees. No one uttered a word, as if we were waiting for something to happen. And then, we heard _it_. That whimsical laughter that doesn't really fit the grim situation we're in. A laughter of enjoyment that shouldn't be heard in a crisis like this.

_**Achichichichichichichichi!**_

All of us turned and faced the front side of the classroom as the sound of laughing echoed through our ears. Something about that laugh isn't right at all, and things are about to get creepier. A moment after we faced the front, our attention was focused on the desk, where a strange stuffed animal that wasn't there before sat lifelessly. It was a stuffed tiger, who had orange fur and black stripes on the right side, and black fur and orange stripes on the other. Its eyes are also very different; one was just an ordinary button sewn on to it. But the other looked much more, _mechanical, _is the only way to put it. It's a large, green glass with an edgy design. Its mouth looks like any other stuff toys' mouths on the right, but it wore a sinister grin on the left side, and I could feel a malicious aura radiating from it.

"A-a stuffed animal...?" The ten year old asked, trying to get near it. But before she could start a step, the tall guy with black hair wearing a gray hoodie put a hand in front of her. His eyes were glaring at the stuffed animal, intently focused on it. It was making me nervous just looking at it. Suddenly, the stuffed toy _twitched_. Right in front of us, too.

"The stuffed toy _moved_?!" The magician exclaimed. "What kind of **sorcery** is this?!"

"I am no stuffed toy!" The tiger shocked us even more by replying to him, standing up as he did so. "I am Monotora, and I will be your host on this expedition!"

"Monotora?" I repeated. "The stuffed toy can talk, and its name is Monotora..."

"As I said, I am _not_ a stuffed toy!" Monotora said in a dignified-like manner. "I am Monotora, and I will be your host on this expedition!"

"Expedition?" The redhead guy asked. "What are you talking about?"

"An expedition," Monotora repeated. "We're going to a place far, far away from here. That's what I'm talking about!"

"What?" The gray-haired girl exclaimed, her eyes wide and bringing up a hand. "Aren't we supposed to go to Hope's Peak Academy? What are we doing here?"

"Achichi..." Monotora crickets, bringing a chill up my spine. "You plan on going to Hope's Peak? You must first finish this expedition!"

"What the hell **expedition **are you goin' on about?!" The green-haired woman growled out. Monotora only laughs as he brings out a controller from somewhere and pressed the big red button on the middle. The ground began to shake again, and loud siren sounds could be heard echoing throughout the room. With our ears covered and our legs trying to keep us balanced, we could only watch as the walls of the sealed room we were in collapse backwards, creating a cloud of dust that obscured our vision.

Confusion aside, we were all shocked to see the results of what Monotora did. With the walls undone, we were surprised to find ourselves still locked up, but with far bigger space than the cramped up room before. The windows were still barricaded, so we didn't know where we were being held, and when I turned around, the door was made of solid metal, like a vault door that needs to be opened with a special key. The maroon-colored wallpaper covered the entirety of whatever place we were in, and red wool carpeting covered the floors. There was a wide staircase with wide, wooden railings stretching all the way up, then splitting to two directions. A large painting of Monotora was hung on the wall just by the wall where the stairs would intersect. Doors led from which every direction as everyone got a good view of what this place is.

"What is this...place...?" The little blondie asked, shivering still.

"Welcome to _**Hope's Peak Mansion**_!" Monotora announced. "As the young students who represent the _hope _of humankind, you all must be taken care of properly. And what is more extravagant than a stay at Hope's Peak Mansion?" He put his paw in front of his face and continued, "Although, the duration of your stay has not been discussed yet, so I would suggest you get comfy here, since you'll be staying here _**indefinitely**_..."

"What?!" Was our only unison response after hearing that bullcrap of a statement.

"_**Indefinitely**_?!" A boy with orange hair and blue eyes asked angrily. "There's no way you can keep me locked up here indefinitely! What about the mecha-anime I'm tuning in to, huh!?"

"U-uh, minus the last part, I agree with him..." The platinum-haired boy nodded. "That's not right, keeping us here when we should be in school..."

"**Damn** right!" The green-haired woman exclaimed. "Like, what the hell is **your **excuse for locking us up here, you sick **freak**!"More and more people kept ranting at the stuffed-tiger, and for a while, he didn't seem to mind them. He looked like he was thinking, which made me even more nervous of the things he has planned for us.

"Oh dear..." He muttered in sarcastic worry. He didn't even bat an eye at all the people glaring at him so hard. He was so calm all throughout this, and it's making me even _more_ nervous. "It seems you have more than _complaints_ for me... Well, I can't take all your half-assery right now, for I am very busy. I'll be back before 7 pm, so hold your complaints until then. We will meet up at the **dining area** over there..." He pointed his paw to the far left of the giant lobby-like place we're stuck in. "Well, so long, _cretins_!" With that being said, he disappeared, leaving only the sounds of his laughter. He didn't even wait for any of us to respond before disappearing. He just poofed and gone, just like that.

"W-what the _freakin' _hell?!" The redhead asked in shock. All of us were still under the impression that we were trapped here with no chance of escape, and stayed silent at the time. The one that spoke up again after a few short moments was the orange-haired kid.

"H-hey!" He began, trying to catch our attention. "Let's all not lose _hope_, okay? I'm sure there has to be a way out of here! We just need to find it!"

"M-maybe he's right..." The girl with the cat-hood agreed. "All we need is a bit of determination, and I'm sure we'll find the exit before Monotora comes back!"

"I'm not so sure about that..." The magician, or whatever he was, spoke out. A girl wearing beige shorts right beside him was jogging on her spot as she seemed focus on something.

"All right..." She muttered to herself. "E-everyone, let's split up and find an exit! I'm sure we'll cover more ground that way!"

"Not a good idea..." The redhead said. "I mean, what if that stuffed-tiger appears out of nowhere and _does something to you_?"

"Huh?" The dog boy, the High School Memorizer, asked. "What do you mean by, '_does something to you'_?"

"...I think what he's trying to say is..." A guy wearing a weird-looking face mask butted in. He was at the edge of the group, near the dining area entrance. "What if that strange character tries to kill you while searching for an exit?" A series of gasps and states of shock broke throughout the room, only to be shushed by the priest-like guy in front of me.

"Calm yourselves, children of God." He declared, still composed despite the heavy situation. "Join me in prayer as we seek guidance from His Grace and-"

"Ah, **shut **yer trap!" The green-haired woman snapped, shocking the poor priest in the process. "We don't wanna spend our time kneeling on the ground like we're in a damn **sermon**! We need to look for an exit, fast!"

"How do you suggest we do it, then?" A blonde wearing a green polo and pink skirt asked. "Though I doubt that Monotora-san will try and attack us, I also doubt that we'll be safe investigating this place all by ourselves..."

"How about we split into two's," The dog boy said. "We're twenty people here, right? So each of you, take a partner with you and investigate a part of this place. We'll come back to this place just before 7 pm." He pointed to the clock above the door frame that led to another room.

"All right," The purple-haired woman huffed. "Does anyone else have any _bright ideas_?"

"I do! I do!" A petite girl with short, pink hair exclaimed. "If by chance, that scary-looking tiger attacked any of us, we should scream as loud as we can so the rest of us can come to the rescue!"

"I thought that was already a given..." The tall guy with the hood muttered to himself. The pink-haired girl giggled and patted the man on the leg.

"Oh, don't be silly! Not everyone here is as smart as me! Tee-hee! Just kidding!" She giggled a little and clung to the guy's pants... That was a pretty awkward thing to say.

"So, it's decided." The redhead announced, looking at the clock, then back to us. "Everyone find a partner and investigate the area. **Do not** go anywhere without your partner, understand? The time is 5pm, so everyone be back here before 7, alright?"

With a nod of agreement, everyone headed off to find a partner. I never planned to investigate this place in the first place, especially now that we had to pick a partner. I don't do well with social events, given my title. Pretty soon enough, the pairs slowly started to disperse and begin their own investigation. The only two people left here were me and the dog boy, who was smiling at me for some unknown reason.

"W-what?" I asked, a little embarrassed that someone was staring at me. He only smiled wider and walked closer to me, extending a hand of greetings.

"Let's go, _partner_!" He exclaimed. Partner?! I never agreed to be this guy's partner, and there is no way I'm agreeing to it now!

"I never agreed to be your partner!" I exclaimed, backing up a bit. "And besides, I don't even _know you_! You go with someone else!"

"But everyone else already has a partner..." He said, dropping the greeting handshake. "Don't you think it would be a bit unfair if we're the only ones who don't have a partner? Plus, we'll have a higher chance of survival if we team up, right?" Even though I don't want to admit it, he's right. There's no way I'm going to walk around this place alone, and he's the only one here.

"Fine..." I reluctantly agreed. "But don't expect me to be all friendly with you just because I'm your partner!" He nodded, but kept that strange smile of his.

"Oh, shouldn't we introduce ourselves first?" He asked. "I'll start us off. My name is Nidia Galide, and I'm the _Super Duper High School Memorizer_. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm... Hisagi Koten." I said, not looking at him. "Okay, now that we're through-"

"No we're not." He said, interrupting me. I looked at him with a confused expression on my face, and he raises a finger in front of me. "You didn't tell me your _Super Duper High School_ ability. That's a bit unfair, don't you think?

"Life's unfair," I said, turning my back to him. "Let's just investigate this place so we get the hell out this place... I need a serious nap after all this..." I muttered the last part to myself.

"Oh..." He responded, looking a bit down. "Okay... Let's just... investigate..." I walked away and began my investigation, not caring whether or not he followed. As I said, I don't do well on any social events, even as introducing myself is a pain in the ass. Having said that, I have no intention of being friends with anyone here.

Since we're in this room last, it might as well be the place we start our investigation. This place appears to be the **lobby**, or at least the place nearest to the entrance. Speaking of which, I went over the sealed metal door, trying to figure out if we could open it or not. There were security cameras in every corner of this room, and the door's pretty much guarded with heavy weaponry. There were machine guns located above the door. I think it's there to keep us from trying to open the door. The bottom line is, we can't get out through here. The windows, as expected, were barricaded with metal plates, so that's off the list, too. There are different rooms that connect from this place, and the stairs lead to another floor.

"Hey, Hisagi-san!" Nidia called me. He was investigating the top floor, and I can't really ignore him if he's found a clue, so I casually walked over to where he was to see what he found out.

"What is it?" I asked as I arrived. However, my attention was caught by the shutters that blocked the way to another set of stairs up here.

"Strange, isn't it?" Nidia asked. "Not only is it blocking our way, but the fact that there's another set of stairs here means that there are _more floors leading up_. Plus, there's that." He pointed towards the other end of the staircase, which was also blocked by shutters. "There must be some places where we aren't allowed to go yet."

"Why are you even telling me this?" I asked irritably. "Does this help with our investigation?"

"Why yes, it does." He replied simply. "With this discovery, we can safely assume that there are some places Monotora doesn't want us to go to yet. This means that our chances of escaping are slim to none."

"W-what? Seriously?" I asked in shock. He nodded in response before continuing his monologue.

"Also, it seems that he's going to keep a very strict eye on us, given that there are security cameras occupying almost every corner of this place. I don't think it's a stretch that he's planning to keep us here for a long period of time..."

"R-really...?" Again, I asked him. I thought he was nothing but an airhead, but given his _title_, I think I made the wrong assumption.

"See that monitor over there?" He asked me, pointing above the Monotora painting. I looked up and saw a wide-screen monitor hanging above the painting. "What do you suppose that is?"

"I-I dunno..." I muttered, completely stunned by his investigative abilities.

"My guess is that it's used by Monotora somehow, but now's not the time to discuss all that..."

"T-then, what do we-"

"Welllll, that's just my _guess_!" He suddenly laughed off. "I don't like talking about all that stuff! It's stressful! Oh well, back to investigating! Say, where do you wanna go next, huh?" He asked, smiling that wide smile again. Well, he seems like a nice enough person, but I still don't know if I could trust him. After all, anything could happen while we're stuck here.

"Uh... I don't know..." I muttered in slight awkwardness. He dropped the smile a few centimeters then looked around a bit. He looked back to me a few seconds later with a curious look on his face.

"Hmm... How about we go check out the **dining area**. That's where we're supposed to meet Monotora, right?" He asked. Well, he's right about that, that's where that creepy stuffed-tiger told us to go at 7pm. But I don't think I want to go there just yet.

"How about not..." I said. "If we go there now, he might catch us, and who knows what he might do to us." He blinked a few times at that, then tilted his head. What's up with him and tilting his head all the time?

"I guess you're right..." He said. "Then why don't **you** pick where we should go next?" He asked, shoving and pushing me down the stairs with a gleeful look. We reached the bottom with little effort thanks to him, and he put his hands over his hips as he looked at me expectedly. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of my cheek as I looked at that expression. I turned away and looked at the places we're allowed to go. To the far left was the **dining area**, and there's an open frame beside it that seemed to lead to the **kitchen**. There were **double doors** at the center that caught my eye. To the right, there was a long hallway just opposite of the dining area, and another open frame leading to the **living room**.

"Let's go this way," I said, going to the place the caught my eye the most, pertaining to the double doors at the center of the left side of the hobby. He nodded and followed, just like that. I don't know if he's trustworthy or just plain obedient. Either way, he's a great help. Walking closer to the two doors, I took their handles and checked if they can be opened. They screeched a bit when being slowly opened, but they moved, so I guess it's somewhere we can go.

The inside of those double doors were a series of rooms lining up the walls, particularly ten rooms on each side. Each room has a nameplate with our names printed out, and it's even gone so far as to put our faces on the nameplates. I had the virtue of having the first one on the left side, while Nidia was third on the right side.

"What are these rooms?" I asked aloud. When I tried to open the one with my picture on it, the doorknob wouldn't turn. It must be locked from the inside, but I'm still wondering about this place.

"These must be our **bedrooms**." Nidia concluded. "The fact that they're all separate from each other, and the fact that each door has a picture of one of us proves that much."

"Well, we can't open them yet, so it's pretty much useless information..." I sighed. "Let's go check out the **living room**."

"Okay~" The dog boy replied. "You're talking to me much more often now than you were a while ago. Does that mean you want to be friends with me?"

"It doesn't mean anything! And I _**don't**_ want to be friends with anyone like you! " I retorted rather violently. I had a fist up and shaking, shocking Nidia, who backed away a little. He brought his head down and turned towards the door.

"I see..." He muttered. "Let's just go to the living room, then..." He opened the doors and went out to the lobby without a single glance at my direction. I lowered my fist as I stared at the doors, then clicked my tongue before walking after him. By the time I got out of that place, he was already entering the living room. I wouldn't blame him for trying to avoid me now after what I just did to him. But that's the reason why I'm dubbed as the _Super Duper High School Loser_. I can't have friends for more than a few minutes before I start talking crap. Either way, I can't let him wander around partnerless when he was the one who suggested the idea in the first place.

I entered the living room, and I found not only Nidia, but also **two other people**. One was the strange girl with dark purple hair that was giving me the creeps earlier, and then there was the girl with a cat hood on. She was drawing a sketch of Nidia as he stood melancholicly, one hand balled into a fist under his chin, and the other under his elbow. He was just staring down at the glass table, and the girl was sketching him with quick percision. She's one hell of an artist, that's for sure.

"Oi, Nidia-"

"_**Yyyyooooouuuuu**_!" The silver-haired girl suddenly exclaimed, pointing a sharp pencil in front me. "Hisagi Koten-kun, are you not?" I nodded, then she continued. "You and Nidia-san only just met and you're already being mean to him! I can tell I'm not going to like you!"

"T-the hell I was being mean to him!" I retorted. "And how would you know that we fought, anyway? He just barely got here!"

"I can tell if people had a fight or not! And you, my _friend_..." She laughed a little, before doubling the pencils she's pointing at me. Where the hell did she get that extra pencil, anyway? "If it weren't for the fact that our first priority was getting out of here, you'd be pencil shavings right now..." She withdrew the pencils she had to her jacket sleeve before turning tail and sitting down on one of the sofas.

"And for the record," The creepy girl said. "She's the _Super Duper High School Artist_, Fate Kurosaki-san."

"Ayame-chan, don't tell him my name!" She exclaimed to Ayame, the purple-haired girl, I guess. "He might start being mean to you, too!"

"Oh, don't worry about that..." Ayame brought a finger to her lips again. "As the _Super Duper High School Flirt_, I can assure you that no man can resist my charms..." She then steered her eyes towards me, sending chills down my spine.

"Now..." She licked her lips, coming closer to me. "How would you like me to _punish _you?"

"_P-punish_?" I repeated.

"Of course," She answered. "Surely you know that, your actions against Nidia-san will **not** go unpunished, correct?" She gently grabbed me by the sleeve, and I can still feel the chills her aura's sending out. "Now..."

"Ayame-san," Nidia suddenly called the girl. "Thank you for letting me investigate the living room. I learned a lot!"

"Oh..." Ayame said, letting me go and crossing her arms. "You're done already?"

"Mm!" He said with a nod. "I'm finished here, so I'll move to the next room. Thanks again, Fate-san, Ayame-san. Hisagi-san, let's go to the next room..." Nidia neither had a happy expression nor a sad expression at mentioning my name. It's like he didn't get all melodramatic by the **bedrooms** earlier.

"Wait, wait..." I said. "What did you mean you _investigated_? You just got here... And you're finished already? Since when excatly did you begin your investigation?"

"The same way they did," He said. "I began my investigation _immediately after I got here_..."

"Wha-"

"Well, let's not waste any more time..." The dog boy interrupted with a smile. "There are still places we need to check out! Let's gooo~!" He cheered all by himself as he went to the next room, and I could still hear him cheering on the other side, making me put a palm to my forehead.

"What a pain..." I muttered as I trudged after him. The two girls were busy with their own conversation that they completely ignored me. That's good on my part; I don't want to have to deal with them when I have Nidia as a partner.

The next room was, believe it or not, a **gym**. Gym equipment everywhere could be seen, and **others** are already testing them out. One was the guy who kept yelling **badass** in almost every sentence he dished out running on the treadmill, and the other was the guy with short, brown hair lifting some lightweights. Nidia was, again, stadning right in the middle of the room, not doing anything.

"Bad ass, bad ass, bad ass..." The runner panted. He then came to a screeching halt and jumped off the treadmill, grabbing a towel as he did so.

"**Badass**!" He exclaimed. "Nice to meet 'ya, folks! Rimo Kiriko's the name, and _racing_ is my game! Yeah-heh!" Nidia waved at him and introduced himself, not much of a surprise there. The brunette walked over to us with a dumbell at hand, smiling.

"Yo!" He said. "I'm Setsura Minato, but you can call me _Beat Master_."

"_Beat Master_?" I asked. "What the hell kinda nickname is that?"

"I'm the _Super Duper High School Musician_, that's what!" He exclaimed. "The ladies _**love**_ calling me by that name! No, no – more like, _screaming_ it!" He snickered perversely as his mind drifted off somewhere else.

"**Badass**!" Kiriko announced with a thumb's up. My lips twitched to an awkward smile as I watch the perverted faces of the two.

"Eh... Ladies...?" Nidia asked curiously. I tapped his shoulder and shook my head when he turned around.

"I think it's best not to ask..." I said, looking at Minato's perverted smile. "There are some things that you wouldn't want to be curious about..."

"Ah... Oh, well..." He sighed, still confused about the whole thing, then shrugged my hand off him. "I'm done investigating this place, anyway. Come on, let's go." He started to go on ahead without me again, and it's really starting to get on my nerves. I went after him just as he left the door, and we came out to the halls. It intersects to three ways: In the middle led to a number of rooms, the right went back to the lobby, and the left had a giant glass garden where you could see a garden of sorts. Nidia chose the middle intersection, going to the number of rooms where some of the others probably were. But before he could walk away again, I grabbed his shoulder and spun him, making him face me. He looked surprised after what just happened, but I'm not happy with how things are going, either.

"What the hell, man?" I growled, trying to hide the fact that I'm getting real tired of him constantly leaving the moment I get near him. "I get that you're upset after what I said to you back at the bedrooms, but come on! You're not even investigating! You're just staring at empty space then leaving the room when I get near you!"

"And what's so wrong about that?" He asked, those eyes behind his glasses seem to dull, as if he had no emotion to show. My eyes widen in surprise, making me let go of him and just freezing up.

"W-what?" I asked. "Of course there's something wrong with it! You're acting like a real a-"

"Just to put it out there," He began, stopping what was about to be another reason to make him hate me. "What basis do you have that every time I enter a room, _I don't investigate_?"

"Basis? Of course there's a goddamn basis!" I exclaimed. "You just _stand _there, staring at everything, then leave whenever I come near you!"

"That's your basis...?" He asked. I nodded reluctantly, because I didn't see him get fazed when I raised my voice at him. Suddenly, he began to snicker, then went to full-blown laughter, leaving me confused and a little bit more irritated.

"S-sorry..." He chuckled. "I just couldn't help it. See? This is why you need to learn how to be friends with someone you just met!"

"W-what are you t-talking about?" I asked, now completely dumbfounded. How does running from me translate to being friends with me?

"See how you_ misunderstand _things about a person when you don't know them very well?" He asked. "Like, for example, you thought I wasn't investigating when I went room to room and just stood there, right? What you _**didn't**_know, is that I have a **photographic memory**."

"A...what?" I asked, still out of confusion. My mind was still processing how all of this can translate to being friends with me.

"A **photographic memory**." He repeated. "Normally, people with photographic memories tend to remember _images_ for long periods of time, but mine is _**special**_. It's not just the _images_ I remember... What I **hear**, what I **see**, what I **feel**, what I **smell**, and what I **taste**; I remember all of them, and I never, _ever_ forget any of them."

"And that explains why you leave the room a few minutes after entering it... Because you've already _memorized_ everything?" I asked, rubbing my head when he nodded. "I get it..."

"And you understand what I'm teaching you by doing all this, right?" He asked. My eye twitched and I took a step back, but sighed and nodded anyways.

"Y-yeah..." I answered. Taking a deep breath, I added, "You wanted to teach me about making friends..."

"That's righ-"

"But," I interjected. "that's something I don't _do_... I'm the _Super Duper High School Loser_, and I don't know _how _to make friends..."

"Really?" Nidia asked. "Then start with me, then! I'll be your first friend! Now, let's get going!" He marched off towards the rooms we were supposed to investigate. "Come on, Hisagi-kun! Time's a wastin'!"

"_H-Hisagi-kun_?" I called out. "H-hey! You don't have the right to call me that yet! _**Hey**_!" I ran after him as he turned right at one of the doors. When I skidded to a stop by holding the door frame, I saw Nidia, the **little girl with pink hair**, and **the guy with the gray hood**. They were apparently inside the **laundry room**. It has a ton of laundry machines in a row by the left side of the room, and the hooded guy was sitting on the chair near a desk by the center with the girl sitting on the actual desk, her feet dangling on the edge.

"Oh!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed, climbing down and skipping towards Nidia. "Hello there! I'm Nishiyama Nanami-chan, and I'm the _Super Duper High School Cosplayer_! Who are you?"

"My name is Nidia Galide," Nidia said. "And this is my friend, Hisagi Koten-kun. Say hi to them, Hisagi-kun..." He whispered the last part to me, to which I reluctantly agreed to.

"H-hi..." I muttered, not looking at them in the eye. Nanami giggled at my introduction and bounced over to the tall hooded guy, clinging to his pants once again...

"You have to make your friend say hi to others, too?" She asked. "I have to make Ryu-Onii-san say hi to others, too! Come on, Onii-san, say hi to our new friends!"

"Tch..." The guy clicked his tongue at the little girl. "Don't make me do such stupid things..."

"Oh come on, Ryu-Onii-san!" Nanami exclaimed.

"_Ryu_?" Nidia asked. He had this excited aura circulating around him as he looked at the guy named Ryu in front of us."As in, Kazuma Ryuuren? The _Super Duper High School Tactician_, Kazuma Ryuuren?"

"Yep! That's right!" Nanami said. "Ryu-onii-san is the smartest person in the whole universe! He's my favorite on the internet, and I follow all his gaming accounts!" Nidia was nodding to this the whole time, as if he was some crazed fan or something.

"I know, I know!" He said. "I've been doing the same thing, too! I've memorized all of his strategies, and I've memorized every game he's ever been on! He's by far the best _tactician _this generation has ever had! Even military officials want him to join the army!"

"Wait... You've _memorized_ my games?" Ryu suddenly asked, a smirk decorating his face. "Interesting... I think I've heard of the _Super Duper High School Memorizer _before... But I never would have guessed it would be you..."

"Yep, the one and only!" Nidia said, pounding on his chest. "I never thought I'd get a chance to meet _**the**_ Kazuma Ryuuren!"

"I never heard of him before..." I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Really?" Nidia asked. "He's a really popular internet icon under the name _ .Machina_. He's played a ton of online games that should have required more than one person to win, ..."

"But Ryu-Onii-san is _sooo_ smart, that he defeated the best of the best of those games,_ all by himself_!"

"W-what?" I asked in shock. "All by himself? That's impossible!"

"I'm not limited to just games, you know..." Ryu mentioned. "You don't know what I'm really capable of doing."

"Really? But I think I've memorized everything about you, Ryuuren-kun..." Nidia smiled, putting his hands behind his back and shifting his weight on his right leg. "How you play, how you think, how you breathe... It only takes a few minutes to figure a person out..."

"That's _**my**_line..." Ryu opposed. "That being said, why don't we test that memory of yours, huh?"

"W-what?" Nidia asked in surprise. "Y-you think I'm lying? I was dead serious, you know?"

"Really now...?" The black-haired guy muttered. "We'll see about that..."

"W-what?!" Nidia's expression changed a second, and it scared the hell out of me, before reverting back to his calm and innocent-looking self. "M-my memory is **100%** **accurate**, and I don't like it when people say _otherwise_..."

"I never said it was _inaccurate_..." Ryu said. "I just implied that it was _lacking_..."

"_Lacking_?" Nidia repeated through gritted teeth, his eye twitching. I could have sworn I heard something like _glass _break, but maybe it was just my imagination. The hooded man nodded, then smirked at Nidia.

"Just because you know how I _play_, doesn't mean you know how I _think_. And we'll use this place to prove that... There's a **chessboard** by the living room. Have you been there by any chance?"

"Yes, it was right beside the sofa that Fate-san was sitting on. What of it?" Nidia confirmed. Then, his eyes widened at sudden realization. "You mean... I get to play against the world renowned _Super Duper High School Tactician_? That's... that's amazing!"

"Heh... That will prove whether what your saying is true or not..." Ryu said. "Now get out of here, this is the only place I can find some peace and quiet, and I'm already _occupied_ as it is..." He put his hand on top of Nanami's head and rubbed it. "You're a real handful, you know that?"

"Well, anyway," I said. "We're done investigating here, so we can go. Right, Nidia?" He was staring into open space when I looked at him, like he was in some sort of daze. I had to pat him on the shoulder to make him snap out of it.

"O-oh, that's right!" He said, laughing awkwardly. "Well, I'll see you in a while, Nanami-chan, Ryuuren-kun!" He turned his back on them, a satisfied expression on his face, and started to walk out the door with a skip to his step. I don't know how, but I think he just stepped in a whole new level of weird. I didn't even think that was possible! But I followed him out nonetheless, we still needed to investigate a few more places before 7pm. Thinking back, the places we visited were the **lobby**, the **bedroom area**, the **living room**, the **gym**, and the **laundry room**. There were still a lot of rooms that we needed to investigate. The next room we went to was the room adjacent to the laundry room. It wasn't really a room, more like a **storage closet**. A ton of cleaning supplies and other stuff packed the closet to the brim; I almost dropped a bucket on top of me when I opened the damn thing. That aside, we decided to go back to where the hallways intersect, since time was on the essence and we need to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings.

"By the way, Nidia..." I said as we walked. "You never told me what you found in the living room and gym. I need to know at least a little bit of the places we've been to."

"Oh, right..." He replied, chuckling a little bit. "Alright then, I'll lay it out for you. The **living room **has red carpeting like the lobby, and it's pretty much ordinary compared to a lot of family rooms. It has two sofas found across each other, a low glass table at the center with a flower centerpiece, and a bright red couch right across it. There's also a large fireplace with wood stockpiled that could last us a few days, given if we stay here that long. The **chessboard** Ryuuren-kun was referring to is located next to the sofa near the door to the **gym**. Two security cameras watch every angle of the room, so it looks like I was right about Monotora keeping an eye on us. Oh, and there's also this big monitor screen just above the fireplace, and I still don't know what it's used for..."

"Okay..." I nodded. "But what about the **gym**? Is there anything important we can note on?"

"Um..." He hummed, cupping his chin. "I don't think there's much we can put any fine detail on. The gym is packed with heavy exercise equipment, and at the end are lockers lined up against the wall. There was also an open closet beside those lockers where a ton of tracksuits hung out. Other than that, the only other suspicious thing about that place is the big monitor screen, and the security cameras that are still watching our every move."

"I guess this place is just your average, not-so everyday mansion, then..." I sighed. "But why the hell are we locked up in here in the first place? I mean-"

_**Ahem! Ahem!**_

The loud coughing of Monotra resounded throughout the entire mansion, and we could only look as the monitor screen just practically above us lit up in blue light to show Monotora, his mocking grin making me shiver with something unpleasant.

"_This is a PA Broadcast_!"He said. "_A quick reminder: our general meeting is __**one**__ hour from now. We meet at the dining area at __**7 pm**__, and I expect __**all**__ of you to be there! Anyone who disobeys the rules will get a __**severe punishment**__, courtesy of me! That is all... Enjoy this wondrously gloomy stay here at Hope's Peak Mansion! __**Achichichichi**_...!"

His laughter kept ringing in my head even after the broadcast had come to an end, making me feel more uncomfortable after having reminded us of what's gonna happen an hour after this.

"Guess we know what those T.V. screens are for now, huh?" Nidia jested. "We still need to do a lot more investigating before we meet up with Monotora. After all, we never know what's gonna happen... So let's just do our best to try and get out of here..."

"Right..." I muttered. That's right. All we need to do is get out of here within an hour. How hard was it going to be? I'm sure there's _hope_ waiting for us around the corner, I'm sure of it! With my focus and resolve renewed, I continued my investigations with my elusively weird partner.

–

_**To be continued...**_

**Surviving Students: 20**

_Author's Notes:_

_For those reading this, I'm sorry for the cliffhanger... :( I realized that if I kept on going, it'll be too long for anyone to read and get interested in it. So I decided to cut it and wait to see if I did it right. Although that's not my true intetion, it's still worth trying, right? :)_

_Anyway, I'll be updating again next month, though I'm not sure when. Just make sure to check in every once in a while~ :D_

_And by the way, how was this chapter? :) Was it good? Satisfying? Something needs improving? Any remarks, comments, violent reactions...? Anything? :) Just comment/review, and I'll be sure to read it! XD Well, that's all for me, so see you next month!_

_NewMusic098~_


	2. Prologue (Continuation)

_Disclaimer: Danganronpa belongs to its rightful owner. I take no monetary gain upon writing this Despairification Project. All rights reserved yada-yada, let's get this over with!_

_**A Danganronpa Fan Fiction**_

_Written by NewMusic098_

**希望の邸宅での滞在と絶望の新しい波**

**"Danganronpa: Kibou no Teikaku de no Taizai to Zetsubou no Aratashinami"**

"**Danganronpa: A Stay at Hope's Mansion and A New Wave of Despair"**

–

**Prologue: A Despairingly Gloomy Stay at Hope's Mansion ( Continuation )**

We continued our investigation, going to where we left off earlier. The next two doors beside the storage closet were the bathrooms; one for the guys, and one for the girls. Obviously, we couldn't enter the girl's bathroom, but I'm pretty sure it's like the guy's bathroom, minus the urinals, I guess.

"All right, let's go." I said, opening the door. I was going to be polite and let Nidia in before me, but after a few seconds of waiting, I turned only to find him away from the door.

"What are you doing...?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in slight irritation. His brown eyes drifted a little bit in an off direction, his hand rubbing the sleeve of his white t-shirt, before sighing and looking back at me.

"I... don't like to go inside a bathroom... with someone else..." He said slowly, as if choosing his words really carefully. "So, uh... could you investigate the place for me, Hisagi-kun?"

"Huh...?" I asked again, not getting the actual sense of it. "What's the problem? We're both guys, aren't we? There's nothing wrong with two guys in a bathroom. It's just the same with two girls in a bathroom and-"

"I know, I know..." He mumbled, waving his hands to probably show he wasn't offending me. "It's just that..." He trailed off and stayed silent for a few minutes, his head lowered. I was going to ask him again, probably force him because this was slowing us down, but decided against it and just respect his odd wish.

"Fine..." I sighed. "I'll go take a look... _alone_..."A few moments of silence passed, then he looked at me with a smile, a silent gesture of appreciation. I half-smiled back, then went inside the bathroom to investigate. A giant mirror was attached to the wall and bathroom sinks lined against it. To the opposite direction were four urinals at leach a feet away from each other. To the back were two toilets, locked inside separate doors. The floor was covered in white tiles, matching the bathroom's walls. It was really normal bathroom compared to the weirdness just outside of it.

"Bathroom's lookin' pretty normal..." I announced as I get out, since my partner refused to enter the bathroom with another person for some odd reason. I'd have to tell him every detail before he gets an image of what's inside, or just force him inside without being much of a hassle. Nidia was leaning against the wall opposite of the door, so he was the first person I saw when I got out. When I closed the door, however, I heard a second click, and the sound was coming from the door beside me. I turned to see **a girl with short, gray hair**. She was wearing a purple cap with the letter 'J' in comic letters, but I could still see her black eyes filled with curiosity, and for the most part, entertainment. She wears a plain black fitted t-shirt that exposes her stomach a little bit, a purple skirt, a pair of black cyclings, and black rubber shoes. I didn't even notice that I was staring at her until I looked at her face. She seemed amused at what she was seeing.

"Boo!" She exclaimed, suddenly jumping at me. I couldn't help but jump back, but also raise an eyebrow at the action. I don't know what it was about, but she was giggling, so I guess it was good?

"Nice to meet you~" She said. "My name is Seijuuro Shiro~ If that's too long to remember, you can call me Zero!"

"Zero...?" I repeated, composing myself. She chuckled and made a thumbs up, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Yep, yep~" Zero answered. "Zero, just like the number of dates you'll ever get in a lifetime!" Those words pierced me somehow resembling to an Amazon warrior skewering me with a stick.

"Just kidding!" She laughed. "Don't look so glum, chum! I was only trying to make you laugh! As the _Super Duper High School Joker_, it's my job – no... – my _duty_ to make other people smile when they look down! And you, sir, absolutely need my help!"

"Uh... Thanks..." I said, regaining composure once again. I don't think that her helping is actually helping at all. I think she just made it worse.

"Nice to meet you... Nidia, let's go..." I said as slowly as possible so I don't appear being rude. Nidia is big enough a load to handle, and I can't keep getting distracted. We need to get out of this damn place and go to school, even though that's the last thing I wanna do, it beats getting stuck here.

"Oh, see ya later, then!" Zero exclaimed. "I gotta get back to my partner, anyways~ See ya, Hisagi-san, Nidia-san~" She waved us goodbye and ran off back to the gym, probably to where her partner was.

"But wait," I paused, confused. "How did she know my name? I never introduced myself..."

"I told her, of course!" Nidia said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Shiro-san came by earlier for a bathroom break, and she talked to me for a while. I told her I was with you when she asked why I was all alone out here."

"I see..." I muttered. "Well, that's better than her guessing my name... That would have been weird..."

"Yeah..." The dog boy smiled. "Oh yeah, what's the bathroom like? Is it clean?"

"Yeah, it's clean..." I answered. "It's just a regular, old-fashioned, public bathroom. You know, if you just went in with me earlier you could have-"

"No way!" He exclaimed, a little too defensively. "I-I'm sure I'll get to see it later... _alone_... Hehe...heh..." His chuckling nervously now, almost makes me wonder about the reason why he didn't want to go. Almost. But right now, our top priority is getting out of here.

"All right, let's go this way..." I said, motioning towards the large pair of doors at the end of the hall. I can feel cold air coming out from there, and it doesn't seem to be locked. As we went our way, we passed the **door to the basement**, but it was locked, so we couldn't get in even if we wanted to. When we reached the double doors, opening it with little difficulty, we found ourselves inside a massive **auditorium**. There was a stage in front, red curtains, and a ton of chairs that reach even us, and we're on the top of the auditorium, too.

"Wow!" Nidia exclaimed, running inside in excitement. "This place is huge! Who knew a mansion could be this big!"

"Yo, you there!" The two of us looked down at the voice that called us. It was the **red-haired guy** from before. He was the one who was making a big fuss of not being able to get out earlier. He was wearing a hooded jacket, so it was pretty hard to recognize him, but his red hair and eyes are all dead giveaways. He wears a pair of dark pants and a pair of blue shoes.

"Hello there!" Nidia waved enthusiastically. The guy waved back, his composure and stature in walking gives me that dangerous aura around him. I can tell that he's a guy we shouldn't anger. The red-haired teen made his way to us and grinned, as if we've been friends for a long time.

"My name's Akaisora Zungkimoto! You can call me Kai for short!" He said, extending a hand. "I hope to meet your acquaintance until we escape this place!" Nidia, being the friendly person that he is, graciously shook Kai's hand.

"Nice to meet ya, Kai!" He said. "My name's Nidia, and that's Hisagi-kun. Yeah, I hope we get to be friends for a long time!" A drop of sweat just had to roll on my cheek at that statement. He just implied that we're going to be stuck here for a very long time without even knowing it!

"Yeah, me too!" At that, I almost fell to the ground. He just forgot his other statement and went straight to the friendship!

"Idiots..." I whispered so no one would hear. I'd be dead if these two heard me say that.

"What are you doing all by yourself?" Nidia asked. "Where's your partner?" At the mention of his partner, Kai jolted back a bit, rubbing his shoulder as his gaze drifted sideways.

"Right... I needed a little break from my partner..." He muttered. "She's a little too _eccentric_..." Silence fell upon us that time. It only took a few seconds before Nidia started to talk again, breaking the screeching silence.

"By the way, Kai-san," Nidia said. "What's your Super Duper High School title? I'm the _Super Duper High School Memorizer_! How about you?"

With a nod, Kai said, "I heard about you, Nidia-san. You were really famous from the town I come from. I'm known as the _Super Duper High School Gunner_. I'm really good with guns, you see..."

"Guns? Really?" I asked aloud, out of shock and disbelief. Kai looked at me skeptically, his eyebrows knitted together and a scowl replacing the warm smile he gave to Nidia.

"You doubtin' me, stranger?" He asked, stomping his way closer to me. All I could do was back away a little bit before regaining my ground. I'm not about to back down just because he's good with a few guns.

"No I'm not..." I said, staring at him eye-to-eye. Red eyes stared me down as I attempt to do the same to him. "It's just really hard to believe your talent after hearing everyone else's..."

"What...?" He asked, his eyes narrowing. "What's so bad about my talent, huh?! If I had guns right now, I'd blast you to bits!"

"Whatever..." I muttered. "Look, I don't care about your title or anything, but we do need to get out of here, _alive_... You catch my drift?" I narrowed my eyes the same level as he did, and the silent stare-down continues. I look down at him, using my full height to my advantage. Just then, he grabs my collar and brings me down, growling.

"Are you telling me you're suspecting me to kill someone while we're in here, _**huh**_?!" He sneered. I held my poker face for as long as I could, but his hold is starting to hurt. "Cause if you are, I'll be happy to prove you right... You won't be around to see the results, though..."

"_**Oi**_, idiot face! Get back here!" A loud, obnoxious voice echoed throughout the whole auditorium. We looked down to see Nidia along with the **green-haired woman **from before. The wild-looking woman that left the most impression for most of us. She was wearing a dark-green sleeveless jacket, the bottom half zipped up, exposing the black undershirt hidden beneath. She also wore a dark-green skirt with brown horizontal and vertical stripes, a leather belt to keep it held up, a pair of thigh highs, and a pair of long black boots reaching her knees.

"Are you listening to me?!" She yelled. "Idiot One and Idiot Two, why don't ya get your asses down here right now before I come up there and _**pound **_the ever loving **bullcrap** outta ya, huh?!" Her threat was real, I could almost see the red aura literally eminating from her. It took a few seconds, but Kai let go of me, albeit reluctantly, glared, then trudged back down. I wrung the spot where he almost strangled me. He may be smaller than me, but he's strong. I was right on the money when I thought he was dangerous. Overall, I wasn't really hurt, so I went down as well while keeping a short distance with Kai. Nidia was down there, and we need to investigate this place. When we reached the green-haired girl and Nidia, I was surprised to see her actually pound Kai in the head. I gulped, thinking I was going to be next in line.

"You **idiot**!" She exclaimed. "You're supposed to help me find a way out, not kill the next person you see!"

"He started it..." He muttered, earning another hit in the head, courtesy of Miss Scary over there.

"I don't give a **damn**, loser!" She exclaimed. "Whose bight idea was it to even make you?!"

"Shut 'yer yap!" Kai argued back, earning yet another smack in the head. "Ow, quit it!"

"Just **SHUT** up!" She gave a glare directed at Kai, making the latter's eye twitch, but he sighed and turned his head away. It was like a child getting scolded, honestly. I would have laughed at him, too. But I didn't get the chance to when those chocolate brown eyes steered their way to my direction.

"And _you_..." She sneered, stomping her way towards me. I gulped, holding my breath. I feel a cold sweat run down my cheek, and I suddenly can't move my feet. I heard her boot stomp on the floor as she stopped inches away from me. She was glaring at me so hard, I started to feel like it's burning a hole all the way through the back of my head. Her hand rose suddenly, and I flinched in reaction. Instead of getting hit, however, I felt a soft pat on my shoulder. Peeking an eye open, I saw her grinning at me.

"Huh...?" I breathed out. She patted my shoulder again and began to laugh, as if our entire situation was completely forgotten.

"Good job!" She exclaimed. "Since you didn't let your head explode, I'm gonna give you a reward..." She took a deep breath, then added, "...Is what I'd like to say, but since we're stuck in this hell hole, you're just gonna settle for a pat on the shoulder, alright?"

"Uh... Okay?" I said, not really getting the crazy girl. She continued patting my shoulder a couple of times then turned back, going back beside Nidia. I looked at dog boy with a quizzical expression,

trying to ask who the hell she was without talking to her. He glanced my way, and got the message I was making, smiling and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I was thinking that you and Kai-san would get into a fight, so I was going to find a fire extinguisher to at least foam you from fighting each other..." He laughed again when he looked at both my and Kai's expression. I would punch him if he ever tried something like that. "But then I saw Reiri-san running from the **back of the auditorium**. She was looking for Kai-san, so I told her to come with me."

"Snitch..." Kai hissed, only to be silenced by Reiri again with a silent glare. There was a moment of silence between the four of us before Reiri began to ask questions.

"So," she started. "What have you guys found out so far? Any clues on how to get out of this place?"

"Nope~!" Nidia answered. "How 'bout you?"

"See above..." Reiri replied with a bored tone. "That tiger-freak sealed up every possible exit I could think of!" She began stomping on the ground in frustation, her fists balled up. She growled loudly, then turned around and punched Kai. The unexpected action shocked the red-haired teen, sending him flying a few feet away, landing on the ground with a thud, and groaning before fainting. I stared at the knocked out Kai, thanking every God who has ever existed out there that it wasn't _me_ who got hit by that crazy woman. She rolled her shoulder a couple of times and let out a sigh of relief.

"Daaaaaamn~" She exclaimed. "It feels good to get the stress out of my body!" The eccentric woman laughed, walking towards her knocked out partner, then took him by the back of the collar. She turned around a moment and grinned at us before finally deciding to leave the auditorium.

"Well, I'll see you guys later!" She was already at the back door, dragging Kai's unconscious body and waving at us like an idiot. The same goes for Nidia, too.

"Bye bye, Reiri-san!" He exclaimed, waving his hand as well. When Reiri and Kai finally left the large room, silence filled my ears. Nidia was continuing to investigate, actually moving now that the room is bigger than the previous ones. I decided to help out to distract myself from the sudden silence. But at least there wasn't much to investigate. The auditorium is like a movie house, stretching to at least a fourth of a football field. Aside from the stage and red curtains, there's a white sheet above us, and a projector hanging a little across it. Not much to see. There was a small door leading to the **back of the auditorium**. That's probably the place where Nidia found Reiri when he was apparently looking for a fire extinguisher. I still have no idea as to how he'd use that to stop us from fighting. I guess I'll leave it at that, better focus on this instead. The back of the auditorium is just a long, narrow hallway stretching from either side of the door. Props of all kinds can be found on the left side. There's even costumes we can try on if we ever have the leisure of spending quality time together, not that I'd like that, of course. To the right was another door leading to what seems to be the **trash room**. It was a little dim and cold inside, but things are still easy to make out. I came face to face with an incinerator, and a couple of trash bags by the side. There was also a compactor right across it, a panel with two buttons sticking out of it, and a odd-looking light bulb just beside that. Though it doesn't look like I could get much use from learning how it worked, since we are trying to escape this place and all.

Come to think of it, why did we even get stuck in this place? Was the invitation to Hope's Peak a fake? I thought that would be the case, since even Hope's Peak Academy wouldn't accept a Super Duper High School Loser. Still, I'm not sure. Though it's still strange that other people like Nidia, that cat-girl, and Ryuuren would get caught up in this. They actually have _talents_, while we're a little under their league. And that tiger, Monotora. I wonder who his controller was. I mean, it's not natural for a stuffed toy to just move, talk, _and_ threaten us by locking us in this weird mansion. No matter which way I look at the situation, every single thing about it was strange.

"That damn stuffed toy..." I muttered under my breath. I was going to go back to the auditorium, but I was startled by an irritatingly familiar voice.

"I am _no_ stuffed toy, sir! I am Monotora!" The orange-black tiger suddenly appeared beside me, making me jump away in shock. I glared at the little creep as my eye twitched at his sudden presence. I was about to beat the living hell out of it when Kai's words returned to my mind.

"_...__what if that stuffed-tiger appears out of nowhere and __**does something to you**__?" _Those words rang through my head, and I shivered at the thought. Only now did I realize that I was in a trash room, alone with a potentially dangerous psychopath. He was capable of locking us up in this weird place, so who knows what else this thing can do. A silent moment passed between us, cold sweat suddenly dripping from my cheek. My hands become clamy and sweaty, but I refused to show anything that would give my sudden fear away. Another moment passed, and Monotora tilted his head to the side, as if asking a question.

"Huh?" He asked. "What's wrong with you? You look like you're about to get into a fight with the leader of the pride. Calm yourself, silly boy! I have no intention of harming you!" He did a silly dance that doesn't fit the situation I'm in completely. But hearing that from him somehow makes me feel a sense of relief, if only just a little. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then glared at the now dancing Monotora.

"What the hell is going on here, Monotora?" I growled. "Why the hell would you lock us up in a place like this?"

"Ohohoho?" Monotora stopped his dancing and bent his head sideways again. "Why? What, would you rather be imprisoned inside a rotting cell? Or perhaps a deserted island? Or would you rather be trapped in an old, abandoned factory full of rats and sewage pipes? No, no~ I kept you all here because it's the _best_ choice to make!" He held his paws up in the air and spun around, adding, "I am very strict when it comes to discipline and cleanliness, so keeping you locked up in an inhospitable surrounding is simply unacceptable!"

"That's not what I want to hear!" I argued. "Who are you? Why did you kidnap us? And what the hell are you planning on making us do in here?!"

"Oh, would you look at the time! If you'll excuse me, I have to tend to an errand~ Please remember that we'll be holding a **general meeting in the dining area **at 7 pm! Until then, Hisagi Koten-kun!" He rambled, ignoring all the questions I threw at him, then suddenly disappeared from sight. I tried to find him again, but he just vanished. The irritatingly long time it took me to realize he completely vanished aggravated my anger even more. I tightened my balled fists and turned around, punching the wall behind me as I did so. I kept punching the wall, pouring out all my anger and frustration for being trapped in this place. I heard a door click a little ways away from me, but I ignored it and continued my one-sided battle with the wall.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it...!" I whispered angrily.

"..." I heard a soft sigh from somewhere and stopped my exaggerated actions. I looked towards the source and saw a **pale-skinned young boy**. His black hood covers his face, so it was hard to see, but I could still make out his black hair and those light green eyes peeking through the hood. When I took a closer look at him, however, I saw that he _covered his face with a mask_. I couldn't even see his nose, only his eyes and hair. He had his arms were crossed in front of his chest, as if silently contemplating something. I then heard him sigh again, and he began walking backstage.

"H-hey..." I called, but stopped when I got the look on his eye. He had the intent to kill, but he was not moving either. I was frozen in place, not wanting to do anything and breaking into a cold sweat. A few seconds passed again with none of us moving. I was feeling on edge just by staring at his eye. My body's telling me to Finally, he closed his eye and opened the door to leave. As I heard the door close with a soft click, my knees gave out and I sat on the floor, dumbfounded.

Who was that guy? He seemed way younger than me, but he gave a really dangerous aura. It's like Kai's, but a little different. It was more... _bloodthirsty_ than Kai's. Whoever he was, I'd rather avoid him. I don't want to stay in the trash room all day, so I stood up and went out to the other door. I want nothing to do with that guy, and who knows what he's capable of. The door I entered through led to the **garden**. It surprises me to find such a huge garden in a place like this. The fact that it was so peacefully beautiful didn't fit right with our situation either. Maybe I'm just being too serious, but who wouldn't be on edge when stuck in a ditch like this?

"Oh, welcome!" I was greeted with an unfamiliar voice. I raised my head to look at the person who called me, only to find out that they weren't alone. There was the **priestly-looking man **earlier, smiling at me. I think he was the one who greeted me. He has short, spiky white hair, yellow eyes, and wears the typical priest outfit which includes a black robe covering his body all the way to his ankles, a white shawl draped around his shoulders, and I could see a pair of black flats sticking out under that robe.

"Come, join us!" He said again. "I was about to begin the _service_."

"_Service_?" I repeated. The white-haired man nodded once and turned around, gesturing to the number of people sitting on the grass. The only familiar face I saw was Zero and that musician guy, Minato. The rest of them are a compete mystery to me. Having absolutely no idea what was happening, I just went there and sat beside Zero. Crouching a little close to her, I asked what was going on in a whisper.

"Oh," She replied in an equally whisper voice. "St. Lucas is starting service soon. He said that if we pray, blessings would shower upon us and we might even find a clue on our next search!"

"A-ahh... I see... H-haha..." I said, a little surprised. How could all these people spend this much time praying. I'm not against the idea, but maybe they should spend their time finding an exit rather than asking for one to _magically _appear through blessings. I sighed and put my hands on the ground behind me, leaning a bit. In the corner, I could see the **shivering little blondie** from before. She wore a blue headband that exposed her forehead, dressed in a way that resembled to Nanami. It looked like a cosplay uniform with a blue shirt underneath a white blouse, and a blue skirt to match. She also wore a pair of knee-high white socks and a pair of pink flats. Her eyes were what caught my attention. It was brown on the right side, and gold on the left. I hadn't realized I was staring at her until she grunted and glared at me.

"W-what's your p-p-problem...?" She stuttered. I jolted back a bit after she growled in my direction. I guess she was talking to me and I didn't notice.

"O-oh, I, uh... It's your eyes... Um..." I managed to spit out, but I don't know where to go from there. She stops her shivering for a moment and stares at me blankly. Then, from out of nowhere, she explodes with rage and points at me with an accusing finger.

"I-I-I knew it! Y-y-you think I-I'm _**i-i-im-im-i-imperfect**_, don't you?!" She hissed. "D-don't judge me by my eyes, y-y-you perverted, sex-depraived maniac!"

"Wha-?!" I shouted. The others had caught on to her rantings and were staring at her with a confused expression. She glares at everyone, shivering even more. She covers her head and started clawing at her hair, growling again.

"D-d-don't look at me... _**I said don't look at me**_!" She exclaimed. "Eureka Schmidt's _p-perfect_ name will not be tarnished! I-I'll get you back for this...!" She exclaimed one last time, then ran out of the garden through the glass door that led back to the hallways. She burst through the doors and didn't bother closing them either.

"Don't worry about it!" Zero shouted to the girl. "Your name won't get tarnished! None of us can't pronounce it, anyway!" A few of them laughed at that remark, and Lucas, the priest, just sighed, walked to the door to close it, and came back.

"That was rather unexpected..." He said. "Well, no matter. Are we all ready to begin?"

"Wait a minute, Lucas-san..." The orange-haired kid in front of me called. "Are you sure we shouldn't be investigating and do this instead?" He was wearing a light orange polo shirt with a long black tie. He also wore a pair of white pants, though it looked like it went past even his shoes. His orange hair was messy and jutted all over the place, but his blue eyes make you see the kindness in him somehow.

"Why, Trowa-kun, what's wrong?" Lucas addressed Arute gently. "It was you who told us not to lose _hope_, was it not?" He continued when he nodded meekly. "All that we're trying to do is regain back the _hope _that some of us might have lost... And we're here to seek guidance from His Grace to be able to get out of this situation safely, okay?"

"Oh... Okay..." Trowa muttered. "Right, I guess that makes sense. Sorry about that. Hehehe..." He chuckled awkwardly. Looking at him closely and remembering earlier, I do recognize him. He's Trowa Arute, known as the_ Super Duper High School Luckster_. Even if it wasn't an official position in the Academy and it was only for random people that get chosen each year, Trowa was said to be born with an unusual amount of good luck. Nothing bad has ever happened to him, even as a child. I know all this stuff about him because his mother wrote a blog about _her little lucky bundle of joy_. I took an interest in it since I didn't have any friends to hang out with during the summer. Being alone was sometimes boring, but it had its perks, like learning more about the things around you, and not handling the idiocy of other people.

Lucas walked towards the fountain in the center of the garden with light but firm footsteps. I only just noticed the fountain, but I guess this is a good place to hold a sermon at night. Although we couldn't see the sky or the moon, since it was also covered with those damn steel plates, the grass made me feel a little bit at peace. He gave a long sideways glance at each person that sat on the ground, then took a deep breath.

"In this night of great peril, we seek only the guidance of our Almighty God." He already began. Damn, I'm already starting to fall asleep. I guess I can't really sit through the entirety of this, but I've got no choice since it's already started. To avoid falling asleep, I tried to focus on other things. Maybe my ears will get distracted too and forget that Lucas was ever talking.

Suddenly, as if my wish was being granted, the sound of a bell echoing throughout the entire estate could be heard, and Monotora showed up in the monitor that was on top of the fountain. It acted like a satellite of some sort, and it freaked me out. The blue screen held static for a bit while we stood up, staring at the screen. Then, the orange-black tiger toy finally made his appearance.

"_**Achichichichichichichi**_..." He began with his cricket-y laughter. "_You cretins should assemble in the dining area immediately! It's time for the general assembly! Hurry, hurry! I don't like waiting!_" After that announcement, the screen blacked out, leaving us more fearful than stunned.

"W-well, we can't stay here all night, can we?" Minato asked. It was a rhetorical question, so no one had to answer that, but everyone nodded nonetheless and went out of the garden. I was the last one to head out, so I saw everyone from behind. Some were shivering with fear, while others took on a confident facade and made their way towards the halls. As the last person, I was supposed to be the last to enter the lobby, but the **weird magician **stopped dead in his tracks, his lip quivering when I looked at him. He was wearing a mask that covered his face halfway, so I couldn't see his eyes. Aside from the top hat with a violet ribbon wrapped around it, the cloak and expensive looking clothes were all dead giveaways. He even wore a pair of white gloves. He was standing in front of the entrance, and he wasn't moving an inch.

"Uh, excuse me..." I muttered, patting his back. He jolted at the touch, but calmed down after looking at me.

"Oh, it's just you..." He muttered. "You scared me for a second... I thought I was gonna have to electrocute you or something... Hahaha!" He added a nervous, boisterous laughter at the end, which made him even more annoying.

"What?" I asked, feeling even more irritated. He looked at me again, or not, I can't tell, and smiled awkwardly.

"I-I'm Taiki Hasegawa, the _Super Duper High School Spellcaster_."

"Spellcaster?" I repeated. "Wouldn't _Magician _fit you more, though?"

"No, no!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. "I don't use petty tricks like _magic_… My _spells_ are far more advanced than that... But I'm sure you wouldn't believe me anyway, so I'll just go!" He stomped his foot and turned around, his cape flowing as he went inside the lobby. I couldn't find it in myself to punch him in the face. He seemed to be too wrapped up in the magician role he was in.

"R-right..." I just muttered alone. I took a step towards the lobby, and when I got there, everyone was already waiting. I saw Nidia, Ryu, Reiri, Fate, Kai, and Ayame gathered in the group as well. Though I still don't know a few of them, I see quite a lot of familiar faces. I was at least glad that I was walking in there knowing some of the people already. But there was that guy from the trash room earlier. He kept his distance with the others and was leaning near the doorway to the dining area.

"Ah, Hisagi-kun!" Nidia exclaimed, waving at me. "Come here, hurry!"

"Good," Kai muttered. "Is that everyone, then?"

"Yep... All twenty students present and accounted for." Fate said, holding her sketchbook. "It's almost time for us to head in, I think..."

"I agree..." Ayame responded, already walking briskly towards the dining area with a flip of her hair. "We can't afford to waste any more time here. The sooner we confront that contraption, the sooner we can leave this god forsaken place..."

"Can't argue with that..." Reiri said. "Everyone! Get your _**asses**_ up and follow us!" She ordered everyone to follow her, and strangely enough, everyone responded without a word. They must really be anxious to get out of this place. Even I, who was following Nidia and Kai from behind, was feeling the anxiety when the whole group approached the **dining area**.

The splendor of the inside of the dining area did nothing to calm my worries. There were chandeliers hanging above the high ceiling, they had an ominous feel to it. There was a long white table that stretched across the entire room, it could probably hold more than double our numbers. The red carpeted floor was still the same as ever, but standing here made me feel uneasy. Metal chairs with leather backrests lined the table. In the front of the long table, the source of our sorrow and panic sat in an inanimate fashion, waving his paw at us.

"Good evening, good evening!" He exclaimed, his cheery voice giving me an even more uneasy feeling. "Come, come! Take a seat so we can begin the general assembly."

The ten chairs that lined up each side of the chair had a name taped on top of the backrest, so we sat in accordance to the names. I was seated right in the middle, three people to my right nearest to Monotora were Ayame, Lucas, and Minato. Nidia was right beside me to the left, unfortunately enough, followed by **a little girl with a lab coat on**, **the girl with the tiny shorts that I forgot to greet**, Rimo, Taiki, and **the polite blonde with the pink blouse**. Across us from Monotora up to the last were: Eureka, Reiri, Ryu, Nanami, Kai, **the creepy guy who smiles a lot**, Trowa, Fate, Zero, and **the mysterious masked guy**. All of us were dead silent, anticipating Monotora to begin this _assembly_. We stared at the stuffed toy as he made a sound that he was clearing his throat and stood up to get a clear view of everyone.

"Everyone is here... Good..." He said, sounding pleased. "I'm so glad that everyone came here right on time! Now, let's begin the very first _**Hope's Mansion Assembly**_!" The tense atmosphere began to intensify. My nails dug into my palm as I kept my fist balled and waiting for his speech.

"But, before we start the actual assembly, I'd like you to eat to your heart's content! So, dinner is served!" He clapped his hands, and a massive array of food suddenly jumped up from inside the table. I had no idea what that food is or how it got there, but it was real food, that's for sure. The aroma of the delicacies presented before us made my mouth water. I just noticed how hungry I was when I laid my eyes on the whole chicken on the center of the table beside a basket of seemingly fresh fruit. I skipped pass my suspicions and told myself it would be okay to at least take a bite to eat. Finding a way out of here would require energy, and I'm almost empty. Thinking that, my hand unconsciously moved on its own to grab a leg, but was stopped by someone else's. I looked over in question to see Nidia, who was looking serious for the first time since I met him. His dark eyes leered at Monotora through his glasses as he carefully put my hand back down. Nidia's sudden action caused us to look at him, especially now that he stood up.

"Monotora," He said. "Is this some kind of joke?" Monotora bent his head in question, then shook his paws in disapproval. I think everyone knew what Nidia was asking about. Food being offered by a strange stuffed animal is unusual in itself, and there's no telling what kind of chemicals the culprit put in the food to take care of us. I'll have to thank Nidia for stopping me on that end.

"No, no, no..." He answered. "Trust me on this one, there's nothng wrong with the food. My goal here is to provide you with absolute care and keep you safe! Why would I contradict myself by doing such a disgraceful act?! Do you not believe me?!"

"Like **HELL **we would!" Reiri exclaimed, almost growling. "You lock us up in this stinkin' place and you expect us to trust you?! Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"I have to agree with that..." Ayame sighed, crossing her arms. "Why should we put our trust in you when you have clearly given us reasons not to?"

"And besides, we won't let you do anything to us!" Nanami exclaimed. "Ryu-Onii-chan will protect us, and you won't even stand a chance!"

"Reveal your identity, stray lamb, so that I may cleanse your soul with the purifying waters blessed by the angels themselves!" Lucas declared, holding a bottle of crystal clear water.

"Oh come now..." Monotora sat back down, utterly dejected. "And I even went out of my way to pick out your favorite meals, too... Huuhhhh..." He heaved a heavy sigh and hung his head low. All of us just continued to glare at him, trying to anticipate his next move. After a short silence, we heard someone munching, and turned to see the little girl in the lab coat chewing on an apple. Gasps and awes could be heard as the brave or foolish little girl munched away at the apple. She took one more bite on the half-eaten apple before putting it back on the basket that laid there. She stood still for a while, our nerves tensing with each passing second. She kept blinking slowly as she let some of the food stay in her mouth a little longer before swallowing it down in one gulp.

"Oh god! Is she okay?" Fate whispered in worry. The raven-haired girl beside her was about to check for any signs of poisoning, but stopped when we saw the smile decorating the girl's face.

"That was delicious!" She exclaimed. "Fresh apples are always healthy for the mind and body!" At that, we all gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank goodness..." The blonde at the back said, standing up. "I was certainly not expecting that. What's your name again, little girl?"

"Me?" The ten year old asked. "My name is Renee Kjellberg! It's very nice to meet you!"

"Well, Renee-chan, please try not to do any more surprising actions like that..." The blonde replied, smiling at the purple-haired girl. "On that note, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Leticia Rouko, pleased to make your acquaintance." Rouko gave a warm smile as she faced everyone.

"Now on to more pressing matters..." She said, bringing her hands above her stomach. "Monotora-san, may we put our trust in you that this meal is not simply a way to dispose of us without staining your hands?"

"Of course, young lady! You have my word! My pride as a tiger would not allow me to stoop down such useless tactics! And besides, my job is to care for you, not _take care_ of you... So please, enjoy your meal. Afterwards, we will discuss the fundamentals of your stay here in Hope's Peak Mansion."

"I see..." Rouko muttered, sitting back down. "If that is the case, then I shall partake in this wondrous meal you've prepared for us."

"Oi, are we sure about this?" I asked her, looking skeptic. I saw Ryu picking up the bowl in front of him and began picking out the good stuff with his chopsticks. He took off with my chicken leg, too!

"It can't be helped..." He sighed. "We need the fuel if we wanna plan on getting out of here..."

"Dude's got a point..." Kai said, also beginning to eat. "Besides, Koten... I saw you heading for the chicken earlier..." He gave a sneaky smirk at my slightly embarrassed reaction. I had to admit, he got me there. So there's no need to resist eating, now is there. Pretty soon, the rest of us began eating our fill while still being cautious of what we put into our mouths. Some of us, however, had no intention of doing so. Reiri kept gulping down anything she gets her hands on, not leaving a single scrap left. She was one of the few people who managed to eat without a care in the world. Normal conversation passed along the group, and we slowly began to learn more about each other.

"So you're name is Kyouka, right?" Kai asked the girl with bowl-like raven hair, the one sitting next to Renee. "You're pretty cute, nice to meet ya!"

"I-I, uh..." Kyouka blushed at the compliment. "Nice to meet you, too... Kai-san..." Kai grinned at the mention of his name, and it looked like he wasn't a violent gangster for once. I had to look away at the sick display of romance happening in the dining area. I glanced at Rouko, who was staring way too intently at Kai and Kyouka, hands clasped as she, too, had a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, Rouko-san, what's with the face?" Trowa asked, looking confused. Rouko shook her head and sighed dreamily before answering.

"It's nothing..." She said. "It's just, seeing love blossom even in the most dire of situations gets my heart racing... I'm a _Super Duper High School Romantic _after all, so things like this are very obvious for me."

"A r-romantic, huh?" Eureka said, devouring the rice on her bowl. "I-it's bad enough that we'll p-p-probably die from ants while watching that _s-s-sick _display of misplaced libido, but now we h-have a fan for our c-cause of death!"

"Aww, young love~ How sweet... _Eck_!" Zero joked, sticking her tongue out and pointing a finger at her open mouth. Then she giggled at the furious blush Kai got from having their friendly banter hijacked.

"I-I'm not flirting with anyone, you idiots!" Kai stuttered, his face almost the same color as his hair. "T-there's nothing wrong with telling a girl how c-cute she is...! Right, Koten?!"

"U-uh, huh?" I asked. "Don't drag me into your stupid problems!" I growled then turned my back at him, stuffing my worries with all the food I had. I was still aware of Monotora watching us eat, the smile never leaving his face. After a while, everyone had finished eating, and were back to glaring or staring at the stuffed-tiger. Monotora stood up again and scanned our faces one by one, his smile getting wider by the second.

"I apologize for the wait." He said. "Now, shall we begin this general assembly?" He made a short pause, then continued. "First off, I will be your host and moderator for this entire expedition. You all know me by now, yes? Anyway, I will answer the question that I'm sure has been running in your head all this time: _What is this expedition_?"

The air suddenly felt dry, and I could feel a lump in my throat. I had no idea why I was getting so nervous then, but one thing's for sure, what Monotora's going to say in the next few minutes won't be good news for us.

"Yeah, like what gives?" Kyle, the platinum-haired guy who creeped me out earlier with his smile, asked. "I was informed that we were going to Hope's Peak Academy..."

"That is precisely why you are all gathered here..." Monotora declared. "As the young children representing the _hope _of our future, it is my duty to care for you here! As for your stay here, however... There is no time limit!"

"You went over this already..." Fate muttered. "We get that you don't want us out. Why'd you think we're so suspicious of you?"

"Hmm... I see..." He said, bringing his paw up to his face. "Oh! I almost forgot! I need to hand out your **Student Handbooks**!" We heard rumbling from the table again, and our bowls were replaced with a small, rectangular device lying upside down. I took mine and pressed a button, and it started to boot up. It displayed my name first, then my basic information. There were a lot of tabs in the menu, and it impressed me that it looked really futuristic.

"This is pretty cool!" Nidia exclaimed, holding out his student handbook. We were distracted for a little while due to the wonder of the new gadget we've received from Montora, but quickly focused back on the subject matter at hand.

"Now don't go losing that, okay?" The stuffed-tiger warned. "The Student Handbooks will be your official identity pass from now on. You will be needing that if you wish to enter your rooms, and that device will give you a summary of all the rules you need to adhere to while inside the mansion."

"Alright, fine..." Minato said. "But what are we supposed to do with these? It's not like we're gonna live here forever or anything..."

"I informed you that your stay here was indefinite, correct?" The tiger asked in a mocking tone. "So you might as well be spending the rest of your lives here!"

"There's no way we can do that!" Kyouka exclaimed. "We can't just sit around here and do nothing for the rest of our lives! What about food? Exercise? Sunlight? Or even our friends and families?"

"You'll have to cut off all your connections from the outside world from now on!" Monotora laughed. "From now on, this whole place is your entire world, your living democracy! You can do whatever you want as long as it's in the boundaries of the rules! There's no need to worry about food and exercise, we have a very large budget so there won't be anything we can't do... Well, minus the sunlight part and your friends and families..."

"Are you seriously thinking we're just going to accept that?" Kyle asked, a little irritation in his voice.

"Yeah! Let us out of here right this moment!" Trowa exclaimed. "I have an anime to watch thirty minutes from now!"

"This is too **badass**, even for me!" Rimo said, frowing at Monotora. "I'm a racer. I should feel the wind through my face and the tracks beneath my feet!"

"You really wish to get out?" Monotora asked us again, this time a mocking tone laced around his voice. Everyone stayed silent after that, and he took that as a yes from all of us.

"Then perhaps I should discuss the _**supplemental rule**_ needed to get out of the mansion, yes?"

"Wait, what?" Kai asked. "What do you mean, _**supplemental rule**_?"

"Spit it out, stuffy!" Reiri growled, balling her fist.

"S-shut up..." Eureka hissed.

"Ahem..." Monotora cleared his throat, bringing them back to attention. "There is only one rule that you must follow in order to leave this place. And that is _**to kill someone**_ in this group..." It took only a couple of seconds for me to let that sink into my brain, and anger rose within me at the sound of that.

"_WHAT_?!" I exclaimed. "Are you serious?!"

"Absolutely!" The stuffed-tiger answered. "I care not on how you carry it out: You stab them, you crush them, you poison them, you tickle them to death, crack their skulls, or even blast a hole through their stomachs! All you need to do is kill someone, that is a _supplemental rule _that should be followed if you wish to leave the mansion! _**Achichichichichichi**_!"

"Is this what you wanted all along?" Finally, the masked guy, apparently his name was Ryou, spoke. "...Interesting..."

"Well, it is getting quite late... You _cretins_ should go to your own rooms now and get some rest. Tomorrow, you should all do your best! I hope you enjoy this despairingly gloomy stay here at Hope's Peak Mansion...! _**Achichichichichichi**_!" A puff of smoke suddenly covered Monotora's entire body, and before we knew it, he disappeared again. Everyone stood in shock at what he told us.

_If you want to leave this place, you have to kill someone_.

That's what he said. It finally dawned on me that every one of us wanted to get out of here alive, so maybe everyone was already planning on how to get out of here. Or at least, that's what I think.

"_**Bullshit**_!" Reiri growled, punching the table. "Ain't no way I'm buying such a lame-ass excuse to cut off heads around here!"

"Surely, no one would be influenced by such a devilish creature..." Lucas said. "He shall know the might of God!"

"Everyone here are friends, right?" Fate asked, a little uncertain. "We shouldn't worry now... No one's going to kill each other here...! Yeah, I'm sure of it!"

"How can you be so sure?" Ryu asked her, stopping her enthusiasm.

"Eh?" She asked back. "I-I mean, come on, Ryuuren-san... Nobody here would kill over something like that... Right?" Blue eyes gazed upon the silver-haired girl, as if gazing at her very being.

"...Huh, you're really sure about that?" Ryu asked again. "If I were you, I won't trust anyone here... One of us might already be planning to kill someone as we speak."

"But that's not-"

"Possible? I think it is." He cut her contradiction off. "Everyone of us has the desire to escape this place, so whoever's controlling that stuffed tiger would know how to manipulate us. There's no telling what any one of us is capable of doing, especially since we just met each other..."

The gazes of the others scattered all around, looking for suspicion and doubt among the eyes of the ones they previously trusted. This situation has given me a feeling of helplessness, a feeling of almost utter defeat. Looking at my classmates, this place is not a place where they treasure _hope_, this is a place where they keep _hope _in _despair_.

And thus, our daily lives have officially come to an end, and we begin our lives here in fear and suspicion, just like how the mastermind wanted.

–

**Prologue: A Despairingly Gloomy Stay at Hope's Mansion ****( END )**

_**To be continued...**_

_Nidia Galide: Super Duper High School Memorizer_

_Hisagi Koten: Super Duper High School Loser_

_Ayame Itsuka: Super Duper High School Flirt_

_Fate Kurosaki: Super Duper High School Artist_

_Rimo Kiriki: Super Duper High School Racer_

_Minato Setsura: Super Duper High School Musician_

_Nishiyama Nanami: Super Duper High School Cosplayer_

_Ryuuren Kazuma: Super Duper High School Tactician_

_Ryou Katako: Super Duper High School Ninja_

_Kyle RuneGuard: Super Duper High School Dropout_

_Seijuuro Shiro (Zero): Super Duper High School Joker_

_Akaisora Kungkimoto (Kai): Super Duper High School Gunner_

_Eureka Schmidt: Super Duper High School Perfectionist_

_Leticia Rouko: Super Duper High School Romantic_

_Reiri Solomon: Super Duper High School ?_

_Renee Kjellberg: Super Duper High School Chemist_

_Taiki Hasegawa: Super Duper High School Magician_

_Trowa Arute: Super Duper High School Luckster_

_St. Lucas Darwin: Super Duper High School Priest_

_Hiragi Kyouka: Super Duper High School Hiker_

**Surviving Students: 20**

_Author's Notes:_

_Yeah... Um, sorry about introducing them like this in the end... It's just a quick run-through in case any one of us forgets... Yeah, I'm prone to forgetfulness at times, so I need this... XD Anyway, I hope you have fun reading this next chapter! The prologue finally ended, meaning it's time for the actual chapters! Let the killing begin! Hahaha! XD Well, that's it for me~ See you next month!_

_NewMusic098~_


	3. Chapter 1 (Ab) Normal Life Arc

_Disclaimer: Danganronpa belongs to its rightful owner. I take no monetary gain upon writing this Despairification Project. All rights reserved yada-yada, let's get this over with!_

_**A Danganronpa Fan Fiction**_

_Written by NewMusic098_

**希望の邸宅での滞在と絶望の新しい波**

**"Danganronpa: Kibou no Teikaku de no Taizai to Zetsubou no Aratashinami"**

"**Danganronpa: A Stay at Hope's Mansion and A New Wave of Despair"**

–

**Monotora Act I**

_Everyone has desires, don't they? I wonder, are desires the only thing that run through a person's head? Would you still be considered human if you don't have any desires at all? If everyone has desires, they're considered human. But if you don't have desire, what are you? A freak, a monster…? Achichichichi… Thinking of a person that has no desires is impossible, because no matter how you look at it, having desires is part of being human…_

…_And seeing their despair after hoping for desire sure is a thriller!_

–

**Chapter 1: As Fast as the Wind, Run! World Class Despair! **_**(Ab) Normal Life Arc**_

None of us made a move since the whole Monotora incident. We were too frozen in place to even speak up. It made me really uncomfortable to hear that tiger say those words so carelessly, and so full of happiness, too. I don't know what his deal is, but he I was wishing so much that this was just a joke and we would be sent back to our normal school lives. But, as much as I wished for it to be true, I know this is reality.

Some of my classmates had their heads hung down, as if trying to think hard about something. No one wanted to kill anyone, but no one also wanted to be trapped in here forever. We were made to choose between two impossible options: It's either we kill one another or we stay and rot here for the rest of our lives. The pressure of taking someone's life is too unbearable, even if I just imagined it. It's just too much.

"Are we done looking at our feet?" Ayame suddenly asked, making us all turn to her. "While I do understand the feeling of choosing between the impossible, we can't just simply give in to the mastermind's wishes. You have brains, don't you? Then please learn how to use them properly."

"We know that," Kai sighed, heaving a breath he didn't notice he was holding. "But seriously, the news just came as a big shock for most of us…"

"Y-yeah, Ayame-chan…" Fate looked over the dark purple-haired woman. "We need a bit more time processing the news… I mean, killing someone in exchange for freedom? This isn't some coliseum, and we're not warriors either! I just want out…" Her words slowly began to fade as tears well up her eyes.

"We'll discuss on possibilities on how to get out here at a later date…" Ryu interrupted the dramatic scene unfolding before us. "Right now, let's sum up what we know…"

"Alright, then…" Rouko agreed. "Now, who would like to present their findings to us first?" She looked around, sighing when no one volunteered. "I suppose it would only be fair for us to share the information we know about this place since we _are_ prisoners here…"

"I have something," Ryu told us. "Nanami and I were investigating the kitchen earlier, and found a large food supply that could last us here for weeks."

"But wouldn't all that rot away?" Taiki asked. "And with twenty of us here, I'll doubt that it would last us a week…"

"Don't say that~" Nanami giggled. "Just before we went to the laundry room, we ran across Monotora in the kitchen!"

"You met him before the assembly?" Kyle asked in shock. The pink-haired cosplayer nodded at him, shocking him even more.

"Yeah, we did. He told us that we shouldn't worry about running out of food or water because he has a really huge budget! He restocks the kitchen every day!"

"He really said that?" I asked. She nodded at me as well, and I just creased my eyebrows together. If he has a big budget, big enough to trap us here and keep us well maintained, then he must be someone who has power, or even just connections to someone who has it. I need to stop thinking about this; my head's starting to hurt.

"I sure hope broccoli's on the menu," Rimo said, licking his lips. "I can't go a day without them!"

"That's all we have to say…" Ryu said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. Everyone looked around, expecting someone to share their part next.

"I guess it's my turn…" Nidia said, scratching his hat and adjusting his glasses. "Aside from the fact that Monotora wants to keep a tight leash around us by placing security cameras everywhere, it seems that there are some places that we're unable to go to for now…"

"You mean the like the basement?" Zero asked, a little curious.

"Yeah, and the second floors at the lobby…" Kai answered. "He really doesn't want us to go there, apparently…"

"That's right…" Nidia continued. "I still don't know if it's possible or not, but maybe there's a way for us to get out through the basement or second floors."

"R-r-ridiculous…!" Eureka commented with her eyes steered away from us. "W-why bother looking for an exit there, when we could j-just _dig our way out_ through the garden…"

"Oh, she's got a point!" Kyouka agreed, putting her hands on the table. "The garden should be connected outside if they want the plants to grow!"

"But how can we even dig ourselves out?" Kyle asked. "I didn't see any shovels in the supply closet when I checked it out…"

"T-there's a **toolshed** near the t-trash room inside the garden… The only problem is that it's l-l-locked…" The blonde introvert explained. "I-it's only made of wood, so if we find something to break it…"

"Isn't that against the rules, though?" Arute argued. Eureka glared at the orange-haired teen, making the latter steer his eyes away from her while whistling an innocent tone.

"He's correct." Lucas said as he brought out the Handbook we got earlier. "There's a tab here that mentions the _rules_ we need to follow if we are to live here harmoniously… Or so it says, and one of them is to prevent any damage to rooms. Items are fine, but we can't break locks as well…"

"What?" Reiri snorted, her Handbook at the ready. "Lemme see… Oh, he's right! Damn it!" Everyone began looking at the rules in the Student Handbook, so I decided to skim through it myself. The screen lights up as I powered it up, and it showed first my profile. There were tabs for the profile, the rules, the time, a map, and an extra tab that's currently locked. I was curious about that, but decided to view the rules first. The rules were:

_**A student is not allowed to break the structures of this place. Tables, chairs, etc. are allowable, but the walls, floors, and ground are inexcusable. Breaking down doors is also not allowed and the culprit will be punished accordingly.**_

_**There is a "Night Time" period from 10 pm – 7 am. During this time, the kitchen and dining area will be inaccessible and there will be no water from the faucets.**_

_**Your rooms are accessible only through your Student Handbooks. They will act as a barcode that must be presented in order to receive the key. DO NOT lose your Handbooks at any cost.**_

_**Feel free to investigate to your heart's content. No particular restrictions have been placed on you aside from rule number 1.**_

_**While this is not the Academy, this is still an educational environment. Keep this place clean. Students caught littering will be punished accordingly.**_

_**Students must only sleep inside the bedrooms. Students who are caught sleeping outside of the bedrooms will be considered sleeping in class and will be punished accordingly.**_

_**Your rooms are equipped with their own bathrooms. Keep in mind that only the girls' bathrooms have locks, whereas the boys' bathrooms have none.**_

_**The boys can only go to the boys' bathroom, and the girls can only go through the girls' bathroom. Anyone caught violating this rule will be punished.**_

_**In order to leave this place, a student must kill one of the other students without being caught.**_

_**Accomplices will hold no special place in committing the murder, and only the true culprit may leave the institution.**_

_**If three or more people find a dead body, a Corpse Discovery Announcement will be broadcasted throughout the mansion to inform the others.**_

_**A Class Trial will be held to review the culprit's performance after his murder has been committed.**_

_**If the culprit is correctly identified, the culprit alone will be punished. But if the culprit is misidentified, then the culprit may leave the mansion while the rest are punished.**_

_**Further rules will be added upon notice. Please enjoy your stay in Hope's Peak Mansion.**_

I scowled at the detail of each rule, having to memorize all these is going to be a pain. The irony in the last rule was really annoying, too. There's also the fact that it's clearly stated in the rules that if we want out, we have to kill someone. It seems that no matter how hard we try to distract ourselves, we're only going to go back to the harsh reality of the situation. We're not treated as students here anymore, we're prisoners. Prisoners being held in with despair. As soon as we realized that, our obvious end will be clear. Someone is going to try and break out of here, and it'll cost someone else their life. I just realized that my own life could be endangered, and I have to stay away from others if I want to survive. I would've been better off if it wasn't for Nidia dragging me into this friendly game of introductions, but I doubt he's capable of killing anyone. I could probably trust him if I give it enough time. At least then, I'd have someone to back me up if I get blamed for something I didn't do.

"Hey guys," Rimo called our attention. "I don't want to sound weird or anything, but what's a Class Trial?"

"It's probably best you shouldn't think about stuff like that…" Kai warned, red eyes glancing at him before everyone else. "The Class Trial is only held when _someone kills another person_. So it means that as long as we don't kill each other, we don't have to worry about what that is."

"H-he's right…" Kyouka said, raising her voice a little. She shyly glanced at Kai, who smiled at her, and she smiled back with a boost of confidence. "Let's all get along so we don't have to worry about what Monotora is trying to make us do…"

"All in favor of not killing each other raise their hand?" Zero suggested as a joke, but raised her hand either way. A few others followed her example, eventually making us raise our hand as well. She nodded in approval and put her hand down. I was getting bored, so I checked the time in my Student Handbook. It was almost eight o'clock.

"Either way, we need to get comfortable if we're going to end up living here…" Rouko said, patting Renee and gently taking her by the hand. "She's getting quite sleepy, isn't she?"

"Well, it's getting late anyways…" Minato agreed, nodding. "I need to take a shower, so I'll probably go to my room."

"Are there any more questions you want to clarify?" Ayame asked, purple eyes staring at us seriously. Nidia raised his hand, and the dark purple-haired girl sighed irritably, waving at him impassively. Nidia puffed one side of his cheek before speaking.

"Even if there are a lot of rules, I still think we should add at least one rule of our own…" He said, pointing at the rules tab as he showed us his Handbook. "The Student Handbook's rules mention something about _**Night Time**_, right? Well, during this time, we should add a ban against wandering around the mansion at night."

"What? Why?" Reiri asked, obviously angry. "What if I want to get a midnight snack or need to stretch my legs? That's pretty unreasonable!"

"It's not unreasonable…" Ryu defended, blue eyes staring at the green-haired woman before looking at the crowd. "The kitchen would be inaccessible during the night, so there's no way you could go out for a bite to eat. And think about the situation we're in for a minute…"

"Ryuuren and Nidia are right, you know…" Kai said. He shivered and put his arms up reflexively when Reiri glared at him. "I-I mean, if we're gonna think about this, going out at night is a _red flag_, right?"

"What he's trying to say is," Ayame sighed once again, very much getting irritated. "If you go out at night, there's a chance someone might murder you. And if that possibility is not present, there's the off-chance that we'll never be able to sleep, living with the paranoia that someone might be outside waiting for us…"

"Oh… Now I get it…" Reiri nodded to herself a few times. "So we can't go outside during this _**Night Time**_ thing, right?"

"Correct…" Lucas said. "Now, does everyone agree with that rule?"

"No complaints here…" Trowa said before yawning, covering his mouth as he did so. "I need to get some rest anyway…"

"I'm fine with it." Taiki agreed, also stretching his arms and legs while yawning. After the agreement, we all went out of the dining area and headed to our rooms. I was still glad that I was the first on the left side, and the other nine were: **Rouko, Eureka, Minato, Ryuuren, Rimo, Nanami, Trowa, Kyle, and that Ryo guy**. I still get crept out with his overall being, so I was especially happy that he's at the end of the hall. To the right were: **Ayame, Fate, Nidia, Kyouka, Reiri, Kai, Lucas, Zero, Renee, and Taiki**. The rooms would probably be set up to match the mansion's theme, so I better hope it's comfortable.

I tried opening the door, but the doorknob wouldn't budge. It must be locked, and I don't have the key. Someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned to see Nidia looking at me with a confused face.

"W-what…?" I asked, avoiding his eyes.

"Having problems with the door, Hisagi-kun?" He asked, backing away and smiling. I hate how he sees my struggles. I just nodded and pounded my head on the door.

"I don't have a damn key and the door is locked…" I groaned. "You don't have a key, do you?"

"Nope~" He answered with a shake of his head. I glanced at him, seeing him pointing at the gap that separates each room. There's a rectangular scanner the size of our Handbooks.

"What's that?" I asked him, now at full attention.

"You remember how the rules said that we can only get our keys through the Student Handbooks?" He asked. "Try pressing your Handbook against that scanner and see what happens." So I did as I was told and put the Handbook in front of the scanner. It suddenly lit up in a blue light, startling me with the glow. I wanted to reach my hand back, but stayed until it was over. A few seconds passed, and I heard a ding from the scanner. Moments later, the rectangular section rose, disappearing in a hidden panel and showed a small space inside it. In the space, there was a square-shaped key. I took it and looked back at the locked door. The keyhole matched the shape of the key I received.

"That's pretty neat…" I said to myself, smiling. "Thanks, Nidia."

"It's no problem~" He replied, walking back to his own door and doing the same thing to get the key. "It's going to be pretty uncomfortable for a while, so we have to at least get ourselves used to our lives here."

"Yeah, you're probably right…" I said, inserting the key in the keyhole. With a twist, I heard the lock click and removed the key. When I turned back to where Nidia was, he was already gone. He must've gone to his room already. There's no need for me to stay outside too, so I might as well check out what pig sty Monotora want us to live in. Sighing, I opened the door, expecting the worst. But the moment I did, my jaw dropped. Not out of disgust, but out of amazement.

"No way…" I gasped, walking into my room. In correspondence to how the outside looked, the whole place was decorated in European and Japanese style. It was in no way the filthy prison room I imagined. The simple tatami mats on the ground made me feel a bit closer to home, so it was already making feel a little bit comfortable. The giant bed was fit for three people, so I have no idea how to react to that. There were other decorations like the lamp on the desk near the bed and a counter with some vases and other pottery. There's also a closet that's full of my current clothing, a dark-blue, long-sleeved polo, a black blazer, red tie, and a pair of black pants. I scanned the room thoroughly, noting the surveillance camera in the back edge of the room and the giant monitor that could be seen at the top of the wall beside the bathroom door. Even while we sleep, he wants to keep an eye on us, huh? That sick bastard. And I have to ask him where he got all my clothes. Was he spying on us _before_ we even came to the Academy? That little disgusting creep, maybe he doesn't even have a life. When I get my hands on him I'll make him choke on his own stuffing.

"Ugh, I need to relax…" I told myself, removing my shoes and trudging to bed, locking the door so I wouldn't be caught off guard. Even though they're all my classmates, I have to be extra careful. When I got to bed, my mind shifted to taking a shower, and… _some other things_. Flustered, I grabbed some clothes from the closet and raced to the bathroom. I hate myself, but at the same time, it's my body. So resisting these urges would be a danger to me, somehow. This is going to be a _very _long stay.

–

As Hisagi took his shower, the other people from the class were up doing their own business. Outside the dorms, in the living room, Kai and Kyouka sat down with Lucas, Minato, and Zero to get to know more about each other. It was an attempt to make them more comfortable and reduce the chance of killing in their part. Their conversations shifted from names, places, and favorite colors to love interests, dreams for the future, and how they plan to get out of there. Since the topic was already overrated, they discussed more about their love interests and hobbies. Kai was keeping a leveled head all throughout the conversation, but Kyouka kept stuttering and looking at the red-haired man, enticing the silver-haired joker to crack a joke about their supposed relationship.

"Oh come on, it's just a joke, Kyouka-san~" Zero laughed. The gray-haired girl made a joke about her and Kai having a budding romance, to which the latter quickly denied, even though it was a little obvious for the others. "And besides, I think Kai's taking it a lot harder than you~" Mentioning the male, they all turned to the seemingly composed person. He looked so level-headed, but he was forcing his own smile. In reality, he wanted to beat the consciousness out of the joker girl for even babbling those kinds of stuff.

"I bet he's trying to make a move on Kyouka-san while they're _alone_ so he can get a little somethin'-somethin', if you catch my drift. Hehehe…" She winked and nudged at Minato, who had a smirk plastered on his face the whole time. He opened his mouth to speak up, but was interrupted by an angered and heavily flustered Kai.

"W-w-what are you… W-what are y-y-you, what… _**What are you talking a-about?!**_" He exclaimed in a fit of stuttering. "I-I'm not t-trying anything, right K-Kyouka-san?" He asked the girl, furiously blushing all the while. She couldn't look at any of them in the eye, but quietly spoke.

"I-I don't think you are…" She said. "But, if you're going to… I-I wouldn't, um, mind…" The last part was too quiet for anyone to hear, so the others had to lean in a little bit to try and catch what she said. Even Kai had to lean in a little bit, narrowing the already small gap between them. With her head down, she glanced over the man beside her, turning bright red when she saw Kai's face literally a few inches beside hers. The sudden eye contact made both of them blush even redder and to quickly look away. The red-haired male scratched the back of his head awkwardly, only to catch the eyes staring at him and Kyouka.

"I knew it! I just _knew _it!" Zero giggled. "_A sudden romance blooms in unexpected circumstances, but will their love be able to survive this tragic event in their love story?_" She continued, trying to sound like a fancy narrator. Lucas and Minato couldn't help but laugh at the three interacting with each other. It's as though they have been friends for a very long time already.

"You three look like old friends…" Lucas sighed. "Forgive me for being off, but in the situation we're in, I'm glad that I get to spend it with you all."

"Aw, Father. You're making us blush~" Minato chuckled, messing up the white-haired priest's hair with a balled fist. "It's no fun to have all the tension around. That's why we got to make every second as happy as possible!"

"That's right!" Zero added. "We're all going to be good friends here, and no one's going to commit anything as stupid as murder!" The five of them laughed at the notion. Surely, if they were all friends, no one would think about taking someone else's life. They continued their conversation, finally making Kai and Kyouka comfortable enough to let their guards down for any upcoming jokes from the joker when they veered off topic. Eventually they had to get back to their own rooms to respect their customized rule, which was to ban people from wandering outside at night, but their encounter made their bond stronger. All of them had hoped that if they continued doing this, they would be strong enough to not think about escaping under the mastermind's whim.

–

"_Attention, little students!"_ Monotora announced through the screens. I just came out from a shower, and other things, and now I have to hear his voice. This is not a way to end my day. _"This is your host, Monotora, reminding you of the current time. It is now 10 pm, and __**Night Time**__ will begin in a few moments. The kitchen and dining area will be temporarily locked, and water will no longer run on your faucets until morning comes at 7 am. May you all have a good night and pleasant dreams! Achichichichi…"_

With that creepy laughter as a parting message, I doubt anyone would fall asleep. But it struck me odd that I've been showering for more than an hour. I guess time flies when you're having fun. No use complaining about it now, though. It time for bed, and I have to gather up every ounce of strength I can if I want to be of any help in searching for an exit. I plopped down on the bed, forgetting about the ominous situation as I sank into its comfort. As I slowly lose consciousness, my only thoughts were my family, and how they're all doing right now. I hope they didn't get worried when I didn't come home for dinner tonight…

–

"_Rise and shine, everyone! It's 7 am, which means morning has come to greet you! I hope you all had a great night's rest. Please make sure to give it your all again today! This is your host, Monotora, saying Goooood Morniiiiing Hope!"_ After finishing with the same lame line, the monitor buzzed blue and shut down. Groaning, I rolled over, unwilling to leave my bed. I wanted to enjoy the few minutes of actually feeling the comfort of the bed before I have to go out there again.

A knock on the door made me slip back to consciousness. I covered my ears with a pillow to try and let the sound fade out, but it pounded on my eardrums enough to make me sit up.

"What?!" I shouted to no one in particular. The knocking was getting annoying, and I stayed up really late last night, too. I need to get my sleep or I'll kill someone. Well, not literally anyways.

"Get your butt out here, Koten, before I kick the door open!" Reiri shouted back on the other side. I know that she wouldn't do it, but she'll be screaming all day if I don't follow her orders. I groaned one last time before getting out of bed and made my way to the day. When I opened it, Reiri was standing there, arms crossed and glaring right at me. Nidia was talking to Fate on the left, waving a good morning to me before resuming their conversation. Ayame, who was beside Reiri, flipped her hair and sighed, obviously annoyed.

"It's about time…" She muttered. "I don't understand why we have to immerse ourselves with this ridiculous morning activity…"

"It's not ridiculous," Nidia defended. "It's a way of building trust. If we go to the dining area together every morning, we'll have more faith in each other and trust to watch our backs. It's also a way for us to make sure than no one in this small group becomes a victim or a perpetrator in a crime."

"Can't you at least give it a chance, Ayame-chan?" Fate asked, her hands clasped together and eyes pleading. The High School Flirt gave her a blank stare for a few moments before sighing again.

"I'm just referring that trust can be a double-edged sword…" She muttered. "We'll never know how someone within this small group can betray you and–"

"I don't like that way of thinking," I butted in. "We need to trust each other not because we want to, but because we need to. Doubting each other now won't do us any good…" They all went silent, even Nidia and Fate who were chatting on their own. They all stared at me like I just ate a tub of their favorite flavored ice cream.

"W-what…?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable under their gazes.

"You…" The red-hooded artist pointed at me with an accusing finger. "You just said something… _cool_."

"It's like one of those protagonist quotes on TV…" Nidia gasped. "It really, _really_, doesn't fit you, Hisagi-kun…"

"You got that right…" The green-haired beast woman said. "Well, you're right anyways, so you can say whatever you want. Let's go! Everyone should be waiting for us."

'_Do they think I'm some kind of lame loner who never does anything cool or fun?'_ I thought to myself as I followed behind them. The days sure passed quickly when you're spending it trying to find a way out in an awesomely luxurious mansion. It's already been three days since we got trapped here, and I'm starting to miss seeing the road blocks around my neighborhood whenever I go to my old school. I couldn't help but think that if I chose a different school, this whole thing wouldn't have happened to me. Moreover, I wouldn't be looking back every ten seconds just to see if anyone was crazy enough to try and stab me in the back. Well, it's only the beginning of the day, so maybe I don't have to panic.

We've been looking for an exit for the past three days without any sort of luck. Just a tiny crack or a small piece of evidence that would prove to us that there's still a way out, but there seem to be nothing that would give us that satisfaction. But all of us still made a couple of rules over the short amount of time we're in here to avoid any suspicion. One of them was to meet at the dining area every day after waking up. The other one was about us going in a group that Nidia forced on us the day after the general assembly. All of us were kind of against it at first, but the rule won through a majority. It didn't make any sense at the beginning, but I can see why he wanted us to be together now. That idiot's too kind, if anyone would ask me. But he can be someone I can count on.

We made our way to the dining area, spotting the people who I call the _**early birds**_. Rimo was one of them, sitting on his chair and chewing on some broccoli. He really kept his word about not going a day without the vegetable in his mouth. There's also Rouko, with Nanami, Ryu, and Renee with her. She and Renee had developed a close friendship and treat each other a bit like sisters do. Nanami keeps dragging Ryu almost anywhere, but he doesn't get involve with socializing and usually just reads from a book he found in the living room.

"Yo! Mornin' guys!" Arute said as he passed by us. He went straight to the kitchen, probably to get a bite to eat, and disappeared just like that. As we find our seats, I see Kai and Kyouka heading over our direction. The bowl-haired girl smiled at us, and the red-haired male gave a silent wave as he sat down with us. After the assembly, we decided not to follow the arrangement of the seats and just sit wherever we want. Monotora didn't kill us all when we did that, so I guess he did that was just a one-time thing.

"Good morning, you two." Fate greeted. "It's strange that I keep seeing you two together, and never _once_ seen you apart…"

"Are you on superglue or something?" Reiri asked.

"Haha, nah…" Kai chuckled, patting his leg. "I'm sure they're just coincidences…" As he continued chuckling, he made sure to keep his eyes away from us. As Fate narrowed her eyes, we heard yet another fit of giggling heading towards us. Turning, we saw Zero going our way with a sneaky grin on her face. Kai's chuckling immediately stopped and he froze up.

"Well, well, well… Lookie what we have here…" The joker said, grinning. She gave a sly smirk to Kai, who just glared at her and turned away, before she tapped Kyouka on the shoulder. "Kyouka-san, Lucas-san is starting mass pretty soon. Are you going to join us?"

"Oh, that's right." She said, slowly standing up. "I almost forgot…"

"St. Lucas is doing a mass?" Nidia asked. Kyouka looked over to him and nodded, facing us fully.

"Well, he wasn't supposed to, but I told him I wanted something that could take away my worries from this place for a while… I didn't think he would do a mass…"

"He's a priest of the highest order, almost equaling a Pope…" Ayame stated, flipping her hair again. "It's only natural for him to hold sermons, mass, services, almost anything revolving around church ethics of any kind of religion in any given situation."

"I heard priests can't get married… Is that true?" Zero asked, genuinely curious.

"Why? Any plans on marrying our local priest?" Kai asked, as if he was trying to one up Zero. The gray-haired girl's eyes narrowed and a sly smile appeared on her face.

"Why no, Kai-san, I have no plans on marrying anybody for now," She said. "I'm just making sure you don't get envious of our _local priest_ when he's alone with Kyouka-san~" Almost immediately, Kai's face exploded bright red, and his hands started to wave frantically at Zero.

"W-w-what are you t-t-talking a-about?!" He exclaimed in a stutter. He looked like a giant baby right now, all blushing and wide-eyed after having his crush exposed to his parents. I don't know if I should pity him or laugh at him, but I should probably do both. So I did. When I started laughing, he blushed even harder and glared at me. Kyouka placed her hand on his shoulder, and his five-second long tantrum finally quieted down.

"I'll see you later then?" She asked the red-haired gunner. His gaze shifted a bit, going from her eyes then back on the table.

"U-uh, yeah… Whatever…" He answered, muttering a bit and lowering his head. Satisfied, Kyouka removed her hand from him and went to Zero's side.

"Oh, lighten up!" She chimed. "There'll be other people in the mass, and I'll be there, too~ You don't have to act so jealous!"

"I-I'm not–!" He was about to retort, but stopped halfway and turned away with a huff. Zero and Kyouka waved goodbye to us before heading over to where Lucas was going to hold his mass.

"Did I just watch a comedic-romance scene?" Nidia tried to cover his chuckle, but his shaking shoulders were a dead giveaway. Beside him, Fate was busy scribbling something down on her sketchpad. I couldn't see what it was from this angle, but I guess she was already done since she retracted her pencil. Seriously, where the hell does she keep those pencils?!

"Look at this!" She exclaimed, bringing up her sketchpad for us to see. I'm amazed at what I saw, honestly. It's an exact sketch of Kai and Kyouka, the one where Kyouka had a hand on Kai's shoulder and he was looking away. It was amazing how accurate her drawing was; it almost looked like an edited picture. Plus, she drew it within a minute. She's one hell of an artist, and I'm only seeing it now.

"Very nice sketch, Fate-san…" Ayame smiled. "I suppose you can draw me if I asked you, correct?"

"Of course, Ayame-chan!" The silver-haired girl exclaimed. "Just say the word, and I can draw you like one of 'em French girls~"

"Pun, pun, pun…" Nidia chuckled once again. He had his head laid down on the table, his arms crossed together like a pillow. They were enjoying each other's company like regular people, but everyone knows the truth lying deep within our minds. Despite that, I wanted to enjoy myself, too. It's the first time in a long time since I got to see people having a fun time like this. Nidia and Fate making fun of Kai, Kai trying to dodge any questions that hit home, even Ayame was getting in on the fun. And Reiri, too…

"Huh?" I said aloud. "Where's Reiri?" I looked around the dining area, and I saw no sign of the green-haired woman. Turning to Nidia, I asked if he'd seen Reiri go anywhere.

"Huh? Reiri-san…?" He asked, confused. "I don't remember her telling anyone where she's going, and I didn't even see her leave."

"Reiri-san disappeared?" Fate asked, also confused. "Why would she go out like that without telling anyone?"

"I didn't even notice her go…" Ayame sighed, drawing circles with her finger on the table as she put one hand on her chin for support. "I wish I could've tagged along…"

"Good morning!" Minato suddenly burst through the dining area. He was going to Rimo, who was talking to Rouko and Renee, and passed us with a wave.

"Hey, Minato," I called. "Have you seen Reiri around?"

"Reiri…?" He asked, turning around. "Oh! You mean that crazy chick with the green hair? I thought she was with you?"

"That's interesting…" Rouko commented out of the blue. "It seems we have a case on the Disappearance of Reiri Solomon-san…"

"It's like magic!" Renee giggled. She was seated on Rouko's lap, the blonde showing her motherly instincts at a very early age. She patted the little girl's purple hair, smiling at her and the rest of us.

"In case you're wondering, none of us had any clue where Reiri-san had gone to, as well…" She was quick to catch up on the business at hand.

"You're all fussing over nothing…" Ryu said, not looking our way. "Is it bad enough to give someone their personal space?"

"Yeah, Ryu-Onii-chan is right! You guys should be ashamed of yourselves!" Nanami added. I heard Ryu click his tongue before muttering something out of our earshot, ushering the pink-haired cosplayer to react in a dramatic expression.

"In any case, I'll go look for Reiri-san…" Nidia offered, standing up. "Ryu-san might be right, and we might be worrying about this too much. I'll ask her where she ran off to after I find her, so no worries, okay?"

"I'll help out…" I said, running a hand through my hair. "This place is big despite it being the first floor. We'll find Reiri twice as fast."

"Okay, Hisagi-kun..." He said. "Rouko-san, if Reiri-san comes back here, please inform her that we're looking for her. You guys, too…" He pointed at the others enthusiastically, and ran to the lobby screaming something about an adventure. A drop of sweat rolled down my cheek as I force a smile and followed the enthusiastic dog boy out the dining area. I found him in the middle of the lobby, looking around.

"I wonder where she is…" He muttered. "It's so weird that we didn't even see her leave! She's like a ninja or something!"

"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered, waving the possibility off. "We should split up. It'll make finding her easier…"

"Alright…" Nidia nodded. "Where should we start?"

"You go and check the dorms, and I'll see if she's in the living room or just wandering around the halls."

"Got it!" He said, racing off to the dorms. After he left, I made my way to the living room. I found Eureka and that Ryou guy sleeping on the sofas, so I left immediately in case I become a bother. I searched the gym, the laundry room, and even took a peek at the mass Lucas was giving in the garden. Zero and Kyouka were there, along with Trowa, Taiki, and Kyle. There seemed to be no sign of Reiri anywhere. As I passed the halls, however, I heard the auditorium door open. I turned my head and spotted Reiri as she closed the door and heaved a sigh. She didn't seem to notice me, so I went over there to confront her.

"Oi, Rei–!" Before I could call out to her, the monitors lit up again, and I could hear Monotora tapping a microphone to call our attention to him. My eardrums rang as I looked at the screen hanging above the storage closet.

"_**Ahem, ahem**__!_ _This is your host, Monotora… May I request all the students to come to the auditorium! It's an emergency, emergency!"_ With that, he signed off; he didn't even give us a clue as to what emergency he was talking about. I turned my head to Reiri, only to see her staring at me. It wasn't a glare anymore, just a normal blank stare. She opened her mouth to say something, but bit her lip, sighed, and shook her head.

"You should get Nidia and the others…" She said. "Monotora seems pissed off about something…"

"R-right…" I muttered, turning my back to her. "I'll see you later, Reiri…"

"Yeah, whatever…" The green-haired woman said, and I heard the auditorium door open again. I went back to the lobby to inform the others in the dining area. But I guess they were curious about the announcement. I met them halfway, and while some of them passed me by, Fate and Kai stayed and talked to me.

"Have you found Reiri-san yet?" The silver-haired girl asked.

With a nod, I responded, "Yeah, she's in the auditorium. I found her before Monotora announced that weird broadcast."

"What the hell is up with that stuffed toy?" Kai ranted. "Don't tell me he's gonna try and make us kill each other again?"

"I hope you're not right…" Fate muttered as we began to follow the others. Eventually everyone made their way to the auditorium, and it was only a matter of time before Monotora shows himself. We found Nidia, Ayame, and Reiri in the front, so we decided to join them. Kai split with us the moment he saw Kyouka, but I didn't care much. Moments later, our attention was drawn to the stage, where red curtains rose up to reveal a podium with Monotora standing on top of it.

"What the hell do you want now?!" Rimo quickly shouted. "A **badass **like me shouldn't be around here listening to you!"

"You've interrupted our mass, and I expect a very good reason for this…" Lucas added. He had his arms crossed and was seated three rows behind us along with those who participated in the mass. Everyone was silently waiting for Monotora to begin talking about this _emergency_ he mentioned in the announcement.

"I have a _damn_ good reason, my friend!" Monotora growled. "I am _**furious**_! It has already been three days, and you people are still not following **ALL **of the rules! Do you hate me that much?!"

"What are you talking about?" Nanami asked. "We've been doing nothing but follow those silly rules. I have to hold myself back from using the bathroom at night because there's no water, and it's all your fault, meanie!"

"What are you implying by saying that we're not following the rules?" Ayame asked. "I suspect this has to do with the _enforced rules_…"

"Enforced rules?" I asked in confusion. The dark purple-haired girl looked at me and nodded, strangely serious.

"We've been following the rules we've been given by default… All but _three_…" She began. "These rules involve around killing someone, performing Class Trial, and a punishment that awaits those who fail to be the victor."

"You mean… You're angry at us for not killing our friends!?" Zero shouted at Monotora with her pitch high and her voice lacing with anger. She may be a joker, but she knows when it's time to get serious.

"You've got some weird sense of priority, that's for sure…" Kyle said, running a hand through his hair. "Now how about lettin' us out of here? If you do it now, I'll make my parents pay you double the money you have right now."

"_**Achichichichichichichichichichi**_! That's hilarious!" The tiger roared out his laughter. "As if I'd do something as stupid as that… No, you're going to follow the rules, and that's final!"

"You can blab all you want," I said. "But there is no way we're going to kill each other over—!"

"Now I get it!" He suddenly exclaimed, cutting me off. "The venue, the characters, the story line… Everything is perfectly ripped off from a mystery novel! I just need something else… Something I've forgotten the very moment you all stepped inside this place…"

"Quit your monologue and shut yer trap!" Reiri growled.

"Something you've forgotten?" Ryu asked. "What is it? Spit it out."

"Well, what's the basic thing any person looks at during a murder?" Monotora said. "Basically, what I'm looking for is a _**motive**_. And since all of you don't have any, I'll provide you a little _**incentive**_ to encourage your thoughts of escape!"

"No matter what you say, we'll never give in to your incentives!" Kai boldly declared, but the tiger just laughed at him and began fishing for something in the podium. He pulled out a rolled up piece of paper, and it looked like it's been there for a while with its yellowish color and tattered-looking edges.

"This here is a very special item that I'm sure _all _of you would want…" He said as his grin widened. "This is the map of the entire Mansion that has been passed down to its owners from generation to generation. This place has been renovated a thousand times, but every nook and cranny is just as it was when it was first built."

"What I'm saying is, there are secret passages you don't even know of! If you have this map, I can look the other way and let you out no problem!" Monotora cackled wildly as he threw the map in the air, catching it with his paw before looking at us again. "But, I can only give this map to anyone who successfully initiates the first murder! Now, are there any takers?"

"Y-y-you expect o-one of us t-t-t-to buy your _r-r-r-ridiculous_ farce?!" Eureka stuttered, raising her voice. "G-g-g-g-get that piece of _f-filth_ out of my sight right now!"

"For once, I agree with the perfectionist." Kyle said. "If I wanted to get out of here, I'd have this place demolished."

"What I'm offering you is the real deal!" Monotora exclaimed, waving the map in the air. "It's your choice whether or not you believe me, but this is legitimate! Ah, but I can see curiosity in your eyes! The thought of freedom is too much to handle, correct? But it's a shame, all that's keeping you is a simple rule you can't even follow… Well, that is all for today's assembly!"

And with that, the curtains dropped, leaving us in dead silence once again. No matter which way we look at things, what he did was just a lame attempt to make us kill each other, and I'm pretty sure it didn't work.

"Well, that was lame…" Nidia yawned. He stretched his arms and legs before getting up on his seat. He then looked at me and smiled, "I'm sure no one would be stupid enough to believe him, right?"

"Right…" I sighed. "That little creep ruined the day… So I'll probably take a nap."

"Why don't you watch my match with Ryuuren-san today?" Nidia asked. "Today's the day I finally get to challenge him to a chess match!"

"Well… I guess that's okay…" I said. It wouldn't be too bad to spend the day with some other people. Following Nidia, we went to the living room. Ryu was already there along with Nanami, Fate, and even Reiri.

"What are they doing here?" I asked, pointing at them.

"Beats me…" Ryu answered with a shrug. "Nidia, I still don't get why you want to challenge me so badly…"

"Would the answer, _'Because it's my dream!'_ suffice?" The brown-eyed male asked, adjusting his glasses again. When he got a glare from the dark-haired tactician sitting on the other side, he gave an awkward chuckle and added, "Alright, alright… I wanted to test out your abilities, and I want to make sure that what I saw in the games you've played are all the strategies you have up your sleeve."

"That's a laugh…" The blue-eyed man said. He smirked at the annoyed pout Nidia gave off. "I'll show you that strategies are born in the peak of a battle and in the rising challenge. You won't be able to beat me with memory alone."

They began their chess match, and at the start of it, Nidia looked like he was winning. Confidence brimmed on his face as they played around with the pieces like experts. Ryu's face hadn't changed in the slightest during the game, but he slowly broke Nidia's game face as he backed the other into a corner, eventually winning with only three pieces left.

"Dang it…" Nidia sighed. "I guess you're right after all…" He raised his hand to meet Ryu's, shaking it as a sign of good sportsmanship.

"Lesson aside; that was a pretty great match…" Ryu said. "You almost had me, too. If you want to play another match, I'll be there…" With those words, Nidia's face lit up with expectations and grabbed Ryu's hand again with both his hands. With that, he started shaking it violently with happiness.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" He exclaimed. "I had a really great time playing with you! Let's play again some other day!"

"You sound like a brat…" I muttered. "Anyway, can I go back to my room now? I need some shut-eye."

"A very good suggestion, Hisagi-kun…" Ayame said as she strode past Nidia and went over to me. She gently took me by the hand, leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Mind if _I_ tagged along…?" She clasped my hand with both her hands, and her finger traced my palm.

"N-no thanks!" I gasped, backing off and taking my hand back. "I need a nap, so I'll see you guys later…" I made a useless wave and made my way back to my room. That stupid tiger's assembly came into mind again, and I sneered at the thought of people wanting to kill for that fake map. I mean, it's gotta be fake, right? How could he have the map in the first place? He's a lying sack of stuffing, and I'm about a hair's breadth in beating him to death. I finally reached my room, and made my way inside. I stomped over to the bed and jumped, feeling the comfort as I landed with a heavy bounce. I put my arm over my eyes to and closed them. As I got swept away by my tired and haggard body, my mind wandered back to that stupid map. It's really a fake… Right…?

–

The morning after, I was again bothered by Nidia and the others. We were already in the cafeteria, chatting with Zero and the others.

"I wonder if someone is going to commit murder today…" Ayame wondered aloud.

"Ayame-chan, don't say stuff like that…" Fate tried to shush those inappropriate worries. Ayame just glanced at her before she set her eyes on Eureka, who was eating just across from her. The blonde caught her eye and stopped eating for a moment, glaring at the dark purple-haired woman.

"W-what…?" Eureka asked, shivering at the thought of eye contact.

"Oh, it's nothing…" She replied. "I'm just considering a few possibilities…" At this, Eureka's glare intensified, and I'm pretty sure something bad is going to happen. The smaller girl stood up, scooped some of the food she was eating, and surprisingly, _threw _it at Ayame. The unexpected action took everyone by surprise, and I heard a splatter. When I turned to see what it was, the food covered Ayame's hair, face, and part of her clothes. She had her eyes clothes to keep some of the bits from entering, and she picked some of the more solid parts as Zero ran over to her with a worried expression.

"Ayame-san, are you okay?" She asked, helping her clean up. "What did you do that for?" She was now asking Eureka, who just glared and huffed at her.

"I-I'm not some mentally ill, homicidal maniac… So don't you _**DARE**_ try and suspect me of killing anybody! I hate blood!" She then ran out the dining area, growling and shouting something about her room and flirts.

"Honestly, I was only asking for her opinion…" The dark purple-haired girl muttered. "Well, I suppose I'm at fault for suspecting her…"

"You really should work on your social skills…" Zero joked. "But right now, let's get you some clothes. I'll come with you."

"That's thoughtful of you, Zero-san. Thank you…" Ayame smiled graciously as she and Zero also went out of the dining area. Just then, Kai stepped through, blocking their exit.

"Whoa, what the hell happened to you?" Kai asked, referring to Ayame.

"She got into a food fight with Rekka-san, and let's just say it was a little one-sided…" Zero answered for her, noting the steadily rising irritation coming from the other. "Anyway, we need to go now…" They brushed passed Kai as he shrugged and continued his way to the dining area.

"Hey, Nidia," He immediately called out Nidia, the one who was eating a caramel parfait he made in the kitchen earlier. "Have you seen Kyouka anywhere? I checked her room, but no one was answering…"

"Worried about your _girlfriend_?" I teased. A faint blush ran across his face as he glared at me, but he didn't deny it.

"Oh, Kyouka-san? She was in the dining area a little while ago, but she left as soon as we arrived. I actually thought she was going to meet up with you." Nidia answered, taking a little bite out of his parfait.

"Oh, I see… Then she must be with…"

"Ah, Kai, just the person I'm looking for…" Lucas said as he stepped in the dining area. Kai looked surprised by his presence, but didn't say a word until he was close.

"Lucas?" He questioned. "I thought you were in the garden holding a mass? Have you seen Kyouka?"

"That's why I'm here…" Lucas said. "I went to the garden as usual to prepare for the mass, but I didn't see Kyouka-san anywhere… She was supposed to help me today with the setup, and I thought she was late. I was going to come fetch her, but then I saw you and thought she would be here as well…"

"Well, she's not here…" Kai answered, his voice shaking a bit. "No one's seen Kyouka around at all after she left the dining area?"

"Well, I saw her going down the halls," Reiri inquired. "I also thought she'd be going to listen to another boring mass. If she's not in the garden, why not look for her there?"

"I'll go help you, if you'd like?" Rouko offered, sitting a few feet away from us with Nanami and Renee beside her. "Nanami, please keep watch over Renee while I'm gone."

"I can take care of myself!" Renee whined. "You can leave me alone!"

"Ah, but we don't want that, now do we?" The blonde said, patting her head. "Besides, you two have a lot in common… And you both treat each other like sisters."

"You're our mommy then!" Nanami exclaimed. "And Ryu-Onii-chan is our daddy!"

"R-right…" Rouko suddenly blushed, her eyes darting in every direction before heading over to us. "Where should we start looking?"

"We should head back to the garden first…" Lucas muttered. "She might have actually been late today and I just got worried for nothing."

"Yeah, let's go back to the garden…" Kai suggested, leading the way. As we went to the garden, I had a strange feeling. There's something not right about all this, but I just don't know how to put it. Nearing the garden, I heard Kai gasp and rushed to the door. He forced it open and ran inside, shouting Kyouka's name. When I saw the garden, I was in complete shock, too.

There were blood tracks on the ground, and they were fresh ones, so these were made only recently. It led all the way to the **toolshed**. But that wasn't the only thing that was out of the ordinary. The door to the toolshed was broken. The atmosphere suddenly felt ten times colder, and I could feel tension as Kai neared the door. We all waited in dreaded expectation to see what was inside.

He slowly tipped the door, and it slowly creaked open. The dark room took in the seeping light from outside, our shadows blocking some of them. The first thing I saw was a pool of blood coming from something inside. Since I was in the back, I couldn't see much, but I saw a hand. It was a woman's hand, to be exact. I didn't want to guess, but I have a pretty good idea who that was. And judging from Kai's reaction, I was dead on.

"N-no way…" He whispered, kneeling to the ground. The others who saw what was inside panicked, some even looked devastated. I peeked inside, trying to shed some light onto the mystery. And my eyes better be playing some damn tricks right now, because I couldn't believe what I'm seeing.

"_**Ding dong, ding dong**__! A Corpse has been found! An investigation will begin momentarily, and a Class Trial will be held shortly."_ Monotora broadcasted. _"Report to the auditorium immediately! This is going to be so much fun! __**Achichichichichichichichichi**__…!"_

With that announcement, the picture suddenly became clearer. The shock was too much, and the words just flew out of my mouth.

"_**K-Kyouka-san… is dead**_?"

–

_To be continued…_

_Surviving Students: 19_

_Author Notes: Hello… Sorry for being so late… OAO I can't even imagine how long the wait must've been, and I hope this is good enough… O u O) Anyway, back to the story… So, Kyouka's dead… I wonder who the killer is… XD_

_Oh, and since I'm doing this next chapter, I'll go ahead and ask. I'll be holding __**Free Time Events **__for at least two characters through a majority vote, so of the remaining survivors, whose would you like to read about? :))_

_And with that, I'll see you next chapter, with the killer's identity revealed! :D_

_NewMusic098~_


End file.
